by Jacob Sullum. As Ed Krayewski noted yesterday, the armed men who are occupying an office building at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon broke off from a demonstration protesting the sentences received by two ranchers, 73-year-old Dwight Hammond and his 46-year-old son Steven, who in 2001 and 2006 set fires on their own ... MORE
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Absurdly Harsh Penalties Sparked Oregon Rancher Protest
by Jacob Sullum. As Ed Krayewski noted yesterday, the armed men who are occupying an office building at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon broke off from a demonstration protesting the sentences received by two ranchers, 73-year-old Dwight Hammond and his 46-year-old son Steven, who in 2001 and 2006 set fires on their own ... MOREMandatory Minimums Don't Prevent Crime
by Kristie Eshelman. You would think that the threat of longer sentences should reduce the amount of crimes being committed. After all, it’s a basic law of behavior that people respond to incentives, so harsher punishments should serve as a deterrent to potential criminals. Unfortunately, decades of experience have taught us that this ... MORETampering Charges Dropped Against Jury Rights Advocate
by Barry Donegan. Judge acknowledges the First Amendment. District Court Judge Kenneth Plotz dismissed all charges on Wednesday against jury nullification activists Eric Brandt and Mark Iannicelli, who had been charged in July with seven felony counts of jury tampering while handing out Fully Informed Jury Association flyers with general ... MOREPolice Shooting Videos Spark Need For Reform
by Steven Greenhut. It’s easy to understand why law-enforcement lobbyists have largely opposed efforts to expand the use of officer body cameras.
As we see in Chicago—and now in San Francisco—the video images of
police shootings may be at odds with what officers said took place. In Chicago, protesters have been demanding the ... MORE
Man Charged With A Felony For Passing Out Jury Right Flyers Demands The Names Of These 'Tampered Jurors'
by Bob Unruh. Defending a First Amendment assault. A lawyer representing a Michigan man accused of jury tampering for handing out brochures about the concept of jury nullification – essentially jurors voting their conscience no matter their instructions from prosecutors and judges – now wants to talk to potential jurors who may have been in the ... MOREMontana Man Walks Thanks To Jury Nullification
From the Tenth Amendment Center. In Montana, citizens rendered a marijuana law unenforceable through jury nullification. Recently, a man was arrested for possessing a small amount of marijuana, but the judge could not find one single person willing to sit on a jury and convict him. Unable to seat a jury, the judge was forced to give up and offer ... MORE
Free Speech Be Damned: Tyrannical Judge Orders Man Arrested And Jailed For Handing Out Jury Rights Fliers
by Barton Deiters. Because justice is a result, not just a process. A 39-year-old former pastor was arrested and jailed in Mecosta County after he handed out fliers informing people about jury nullification in front of the county courthouse. Keith Wood said he was handing out pamphlets from the Fully Informed Jury Association on Nov. 24 while ... MOREJohn Kerr: Take Profit And Self-Interest Out Of Policing
All theft should be illegal. Law enforcement officials have plenty of words to categorize property heists, including robbery, theft, burglary, embezzlement and larceny. Perhaps it’s time to add another term to the lexicon: civil forfeiture. Many Americans may not realize that civil forfeiture laws—which proliferated in the 1980s as the drug war ... MORE
Justin Gardner: Colorado Juries Keep Letting People Go for Driving on Weed; The Prosecutors And Cops Are Furious
When the state is arbitrary and capricious. Colorado prosecutors are getting frustrated at jurors for daring to
exercise rationality instead of blindly following the will of the State.
A growing number of juries are acquitting people of driving under the influence of cannabis, even when tests show they are over the state’s legal blood-THC limit. ... MORENullification And The Kentucky Resolution Of 1798
by William J. Watkins, Jr. Because the United States was founded as a constitutional republic -- one based on certain specific principles, not power or privilege -- Americans of all eras frequently raise concerns about federal authority that bear resemblance to debates from earlier times in our history. A good illustration of this “echo effect” in American ... MOREMario Nicolais: Jury Nullification In Colorado Spotlight
The law you won't be told. “God gives air to men; the law sells it to them.” — Victor Hugo, Les Miserables Such is the disdain proponents of jury nullification feel toward laws
and prosecutions they believe to be unjust. Generally the province of a
small but passionate and vocal few, jury nullification found itself in
headlines and on editorial pages ... MORE
Jury Nullification Has Long History Of Righting Wrong Laws
by Frank Parlato. Because justice is a result, not just a process. 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 through 12 citizens unanimous in their verdict before he could take anyone's freedom away. That’s why we have jury trials: To ... MORECynthia M. Cale: Forensic DNA Evidence Is Not Infallible
Some new techniques have higher probability of error. Earlier this month, the Texas Forensic Science Commission raised concerns about the accuracy of the statistical interpretation of DNA evidence, and it is now checking whether convictions going back more than a decade are safe. Despite how it is often portrayed, in the media and in courts, ... MORE
Massachusetts Considers Fully-Informed Jury Legislation
Because justice is a result, not just a process. A bill under consideration in the Massachusetts House would reaffirm
the right of jury nullification by explicitly allowing defendants to
tell jurors about their ability to nullify unjust or immoral laws. Introduced by Reps. Elizabeth Poirier (R-North Attleboro) and Paul Heroux (D-Attleboro), House ... MOREKeith Crosby: Stand Up Now Or Kneel Forever
Judge wisely. In the United States a jury of 12 has much more power than the attorneys or judges want you to know. I urge all who are honored to serve either as a Grand Juror or Petit Juror to study and know this power before appearing to serve. John Jay, the first chief justice of our Supreme Court and a Founding Father, said, "It is presumed that ... MORE
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