Jury Nullification: Essential rights every American should understand

[hornadylnl]

As in jury notification of a criminal trial, all they have to do is ignore the evidence of a customer of yours using a product in a manner it may have not been intended or using it in an unsafe condition and lay the blame on you because you have deep pockets and the little guy "deserves" it. I thought I said as much in an earlier post. I don't know how to make it clearer.

I do t know how I can make it any clearer. They jury cannot do you any more harm than the judge or prosecutor already has by charging you and allowing the case be heard. If it wasn't for that pesky jury, the judge and prosecutor would have already determined you were guilty. A prosecutor won't try you if he doesn't already believe you're guilty. At least with a jury, they aren't 12 agents of the state who's careers depend on how many notches they have on their bed posts.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I do t know how I can make it any clearer. They jury cannot do you any more harm than the judge or prosecutor already has by charging you and allowing the case be heard. If it wasn't for that pesky jury, the judge and prosecutor would have already determined you were guilty. A prosecutor won't try you if he doesn't already believe you're guilty. At least with a jury, they aren't 12 agents of the state who's careers depend on how many notches they have on their bed posts.

And I'm saying that exact same group of people that lets some drug dealer off of a trafficing beef because they think the war on drugs is immoral can turn around and unjustly deprive another person of his property, part of his life, by doing the exact same thing--ignoring the evidence presented to them and administering justice as they see fit. We know both have happened. Both need to happen, in special circumstances. But those 12 people can be your undoing just as well as your salvation.

 

[CathyInBlue]

And, of course, the judge and prosecutor can collude to sabotage a criminal defendant's rights to a free and impartial jury by simply not allowing vital evidence to be admitted, or to prohibit you from raising issues of law that would be damning to their case against you, so that the jury only gets the picture of you that the state wants them to have.

 

[rambone]

And I'm saying that exact same group of people that lets some drug dealer off of a trafficing beef because they think the war on drugs is immoral can turn around and unjustly deprive another person of his property, part of his life, by doing the exact same thing--ignoring the evidence presented to them and administering justice as they see fit. We know both have happened. Both need to happen, in special circumstances. But those 12 people can be your undoing just as well as your salvation.

This really isn't a mark against jury nullification, it just goes to show that all the checks and balances can fail simultaneously and a person can be tormented unjustly. With all the insane laws we have, injustice is basically SOP.

Want extra checks and balances? I'd listen to ideas. But I sure as hell don't understand the people who want LESS checks and balances.

 

[jbombelli]

Be careful talking about jury nullification around here.

I got infracted last year for saying I would exercise it in certain cases.