Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts

VIDEO: The Grand Jury - A Prosecutor's Best Friend


How the grand jury system can be easily manipulated for political purposes.

Why Jury Nullification? New Jersey Man Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison For Growing 17 Marijuana Plants

by MaryAnn Spoto.    Because justice is a result, not simply a process. A Mays Landing man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday for growing 17 marijuana plants in the Pinelands. When Jon Peditto was arrested in 2012, he admitted the pot plants were his and told investigators he grew them primarily for his own use but had also ... MORE

Why Grand Juries Are A Prosecutor's Best Friend

by Sara J. Berman.   Choosing evidence to control the outcome. Unlike a preliminary hearing, held in court with the defense side present, the grand jury does not make its decision in the context of an adversary proceeding. Rather, grand jurors see and hear only what prosecutors put before them. (Prosecutors technically have an obligation to     ... MORE

Jury Nullification Anyone? - Planned Parenthood-Linked Prosecutor Fuels Bias Charges Against Pro-Life Activists

by Valerie Richardson.      Pro-life groups cried foul over Monday’s criminal indictments against two Center for Medical Progress investigators because a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s office is also a Planned Parenthood board member. Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action, called for a special prosecutor to review    ... MORE

Jury-Nullification Activist Delivers In-Your-Face Defense

by Bob Unruh.     A Michigan man charged with felony obstruction of justice and jury tampering for handing out a leaflet on jury nullification in front of a courthouse contends the local prosecutor’s objection to the contents of his material doesn’t make his actions a crime. Keith Wood, a former pastor, was arrested Nov. 24 on the orders of Mecosta   ... MORE

Terence P. Jeffrey: Can The Government Force You To Fund The Agenda Of GOP -- Or That Of A Teachers Union?

In a free country, the answer is obvious.    Yet in the Supreme Court last week, it was up to Justice Antonin Scalia to ask the question. "Is it OK to force somebody to contribute to a cause that he does believe in?" Scalia asked. Note: Scalia did not ask if it is OK to force somebody to contribute to a cause he does not believe in. "I wouldn't think,    ... MORE

Boston Police Seek Charges Against Marijuana Advocate

by Milton J. Valencia.      Boston police are seeking criminal charges against Bill Downing, one of the state’s most vocal marijuana legalization supporters, a move that his lawyer calls retaliation for his criticism of the state’s regulation of the medical marijuana industry. A magistrate judge is scheduled to consider whether to approve a complaint filed by  ... MORE

What Passes For Justice In Missouri: Brother And Sister Get More Than 15 Years Each For Growing 12 Marijuana Plants

by Teresa Ressel.    Why you should learn about jury nullification. A brother and sister will be going to prison for a while for growing marijuana in their apartment. On Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte sentenced 34-year-old David G. DePriest to 22 years in prison for production of marijuana, possession of more than five grams of   ... MORE

America's History Of Justice: How Jury Nullification Set Wild Bill Hickok Free Although He Killed A Man Illegally!

Because justice is a result, not simply a process.   On July 20 1865, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was playing in a poker game at the Lyon House Hotel in Springfield MO., when a friend of his, Davis Tutt showed up claiming Hickok owed him $45 from an earlier game. Hickok said he only owed $25 since he had paid Tutt $20 some days    ... MORE

Frank Parlato: It's Time You Understood Jury Nullification

Justice is a result, not simply a process.   Jury nullification is the term used when a jury – or even a single juror – votes to acquit a criminal defendant who is technically guilty, but who juror(s) do not believe deserve punishment. It occurs in a trial when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judge’s instructions. It occurs when a single juror  ... MORE

VIDEO: Brian Brown - Supreme Court Resistance


If the Supreme Court declared the sky to be green, would it cease to be blue? 

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  ... MORE

Mandatory 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     ... MORE

Tampering 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        ... MORE

Police 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   ... MORE

Montana 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        ... MORE