by Kevin Mathews. A juror can insist on justice. Did you know that, no matter the evidence, if a jury feels a law is unjust, it is permitted to “nullify” the law rather than finding someone guilty? Basically, jury nullification is a jury’s way of saying, “By the letter of the law, the defendant is guilty, but we also disagree with that law, so we ... MORE
Showing posts with label jury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jury. Show all posts
Jury Nullification: A Concept Every American Should Learn
by Kevin Mathews. A juror can insist on justice. Did you know that, no matter the evidence, if a jury feels a law is unjust, it is permitted to “nullify” the law rather than finding someone guilty? Basically, jury nullification is a jury’s way of saying, “By the letter of the law, the defendant is guilty, but we also disagree with that law, so we ... MORETom Knapp: J-U-R-Y does not spell 'rubber stamp'
It's getting harder to prosecute victimless crimes. Break out the world’s smallest violin for prosecutors in Alachua County, Fla. They’re having problems finding citizens who will jail other citizens for marijuana possession. In one recent case it took hours to weed out (pun intended) prospective jurors who didn’t think marijuana should be illegal. ... MOREJacob Sullum: Jurors Can't Know Pot Growers Are Patients
Federal prosecutors determined to hide the truth. Imagine you are a juror in the federal trial of five people charged with growing and distributing marijuana in northeastern Washington. The prosecution cannot present any direct evidence that the defendants sold marijuana to anyone, and the defendants say they were growing all 74 plants ... MORENH Bill Would Promote Jury Nullification Defense
The power to stand up to tyranny. A bill in the New Hampshire State House would make it illegal for a
judge to stop a defendant from telling the jurors about their ability to
nullify unjust or immoral laws. House Bill 246 (HB246)
would make it “an act of maladministration for a judge to deny or limit
the right of the accused to inform the ... MOREJury Nullification And Why It Matters In The Silk Road Trial
by Eric Markowitz. If you happen to be lurking around the Manhattan courthouse where Ross Ulbricht’s trial began on Tuesday, you may notice one of about a dozen signs urging you to Google something called “jury nullification.” Walk a little further, and you may just encounter activists handing out jury nullification leaflets. But if you ask them to ... MOREDick Marple: Jury Nullification Keeps Government In Check
Sept 5th was Jury Rights Day. It was on that day in 1670 that Quaker William Penn of London was arrested, pleaded not guilty and subsequently argued against England’s Conventicle Acts, which outlawed the practice of religions other than the Church of England. The judge instructed the jurors to find Penn guilty, but they refused to ... MOREA Strategy To Preserve Liberty: Serve On A Jury
by Dave Benner. I have often heard friends and acquaintances complain when they are called to jury duty. It is easy to understand the common gripes made in response to this mandate. As a result of the obligation, people are often displaced from their jobs and other pursuits, often for long hours and for little compensation. What if a jury ... MOREJury Has Long History Of Righting Wrong Laws
by Frank Parlato. Below is something that is not taught in public schools. It is history nonetheless and easy enough for anyone who is interested to verify. Jury ended the power of kings. In 1215, when the Barons of England compelled King John to sign the Magna Carta, trial by jury was established. The King now had to seek permission ... MORENullification: The Secret Weapon Against Harsh Sentencing
by Molly Knefel. What if justice was the goal? On July 2, Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan was released from Rikers Island, completing a sentence that her jury never wanted her to serve. On May 19, that jury of twelve convicted McMillan of felony assault against police officer Grantley Bovell. The verdict came after a four-week ... MORE
Alaska House Bill Promotes Jury Nullification
by Richard Mauer. The last defense against unjust laws. A House bill promoting the notion that jurors can ignore Alaska's criminal code and let a lawbreaking defendant off the hook had a brief hearing Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee, then was held for later. The bill, fostering "jury nullification," has been a bipartisan favorite of ... MORE
Ashby Jones: Another Path To 'Not Guilty'
Curt Chancier: The Power Of The Jury
What you don't know can hurt you. Our courts have systematically stonewalled juries when it comes to the
knowledge of their right to decide not only the case but the law. Even Black’s Law Dictionary (Sixth Edition)
defines “jury” as “a certain number of men and women selected according
to law, and sworn to inquire of certain matters of ... MORE
Thomas Sowell: Is This Still America?
There are no winners in the trial of George Zimmerman. The only question is whether the damage that has been done has been transient or irreparable. Legally speaking, Zimmerman has won his freedom. But he can still be sued in a civil case, and he will probably never be safe to live his life in peace, as he could have before ... MOREDouglas French: Can Jury Slaves Say What's True?
Getting a taste of our jury system. Until last week, I had managed all of my adult life to avoid jury duty. As a young adult in Topeka, Kan., I was never summoned. For my two decades living in Las Vegas, I was able to call in a couple times declaring economic hardship. Most of the time, I seemed to be off their radar screen. I always suspected it was ... MOREConrad Black: Blind Justice
Justice is blind, just not in the way it was intended. An article in the Wall Street Journal last week having pointed out that 97 percent of U.S. criminal prosecutions are now guilty-plea bargains, and that 85 percent of the remaining 3 percent are trials that return guilty verdicts, I return to the spavined bête noire of the justice system. These are totalitarian ... MORE
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