- Oct 16, 1999
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A lot of threads get posted here regarding miscarriages of justice as a result of convictions on bad and misapplied laws. Such miscarriages likely far outnumber those that actually become newsworthy. Jurors in such cases often feel that doing their duties as described by the court resulted injustice rather than justice. Court officials are barred from informing jurors of jury nullification. Jurors are even technically required to notify judges if jury nulifcation comes up in deliberation, and the judge can remove certain jurors as a result.
Jury nullification is the last protection as citizens against a tyranical government. The ultimate safeguard in a government that's supposed to be by the people and for the people. Yet it's treated like some dirty little secret or radical idea that should never see the light of honest and open discussion. Sure it has resulted in some poor outcomes, mostly in the racist south of years ago, but it also played a major part in getting prohibition repealed and prevented many slaves that had escaped to the north from being returned to their southern slave owners.
Is jury nullification not discussed in shool anymore? I hardly ever see it come up in the media either. Why aren't we making a bigger deal of this power we have? Why aren't we excercising it more? It's at the very foundation of the idea of getting JUSTICE from a trial by jury, yet with all the poorly written, outdated, and sometimes flat out stupid laws being imposed on the population it is hardly ever invoked.
Jury nullification is the last protection as citizens against a tyranical government. The ultimate safeguard in a government that's supposed to be by the people and for the people. Yet it's treated like some dirty little secret or radical idea that should never see the light of honest and open discussion. Sure it has resulted in some poor outcomes, mostly in the racist south of years ago, but it also played a major part in getting prohibition repealed and prevented many slaves that had escaped to the north from being returned to their southern slave owners.
Is jury nullification not discussed in shool anymore? I hardly ever see it come up in the media either. Why aren't we making a bigger deal of this power we have? Why aren't we excercising it more? It's at the very foundation of the idea of getting JUSTICE from a trial by jury, yet with all the poorly written, outdated, and sometimes flat out stupid laws being imposed on the population it is hardly ever invoked.