|
|
Freedom Action of the Week
Email List Archive
Free-Market.Net's F r e e d o m A c t i o n o f t h e W e e k
------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by Mary Lou Seymour. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this
and other lists, click to: http://www.free-market.net/features/lists/
Fifth week of August, 2002:
Celebrate Jury Rights Day
"... Democracy is defended in 3 stages. Ballot Box, Jury Box, Cartridge
Box." -- Ambrose Bierce
Jury nullification is an integral part of our judicial system, serving as one of
the "checks and balances" required by a free society. The fact that it is
unknown to most jurors today has contributed greatly to the decline of our
court system into the "kangaroo courts" we see so often today.
Our Founding Fathers accepted the common law principle of jury
nullification as an important safeguard for a free society -- a test that laws
must pass before gaining sufficient popular authority for enforcement. Jury
nullification has been used by jurors throughout our history to "nullify"
unpopular and unjust laws, from laws against free speech to Prohibition.
Why aren't juries routinely informed about their power to vote their
conscience and thus nullify bad law? Why isn't jury power taught in school
as part of a citizen's "civic duty?" Well, since it's the state that runs the
court and the schools, it's hardly surprising that jurors and potential jurors
won't find out about their right to overturn state laws from the state.
The Fully Informed Jury Association is a non-profit association dedicated to
educating all Americans about their rights, powers and responsibilities as
trial jurors. FIJA publishes and distributes educational material but depends
upon grass roots activists to inform jurors of their rights and to undertake
state-level lobbying and/or ballot issue efforts.
FIJA also promotes the passage of Fully Informed Jury Amendments in
state law, to require that judges resume the practice of informing jurors of
their inherent right to bring in a verdict according to conscience and their
judgment as to whether the law itself is unjust or unfairly applied in any trial
by jury where government is one of the parties.
In 1991 FIJA National promoted the first Jury Rights Day celebration,
commemorating the acquittal of William Penn on September 5, 1670 by an
independent jury, on charges of preaching an illegal religion to an illegal
assembly.
The judge fined and imprisoned the jury for refusing to bring in a conviction,
but a high court ruling established that jurors may not be punished for
voting their consciences.
For this week's action, let's promote public awareness of the vital
importance of jury power, and help correct the misconceptions about jury
nullification, by promoting Jury Rights Day, September 5.
You may want to write a letter to the editor, explaining the importance of
September 5 and giving a brief history of jury nullification. ISIL offers an
excellent "History of Jury Nullification," which you can use for background
or quote from; also check out Free-Market.Net's Policy Spotlight on the
subject, Freedom Law's Jury Rights links and "The Past is Prologue" by
Shelly Waxman of Freedom Lawyers of America.
ALong with writing LTEs to your local papers, you might want to check out
FIJA's directory of current trials where informing the potential jury pool of
their rights and responsibilities may help the defendant, and send letters to
papers in the area.
If you're feeling especially active, you can organize a Jury Rights Day
celebration at your local courthouse, invite the press and hand out flyers.
You may want to check the FIJA list of local contacts for jury power
groups, to see if there are any local actions planned that you can take part
in. FIJA also has downloadable flyers and other materials. After September
5, you can continue to take action on this issue by joining or forming a
local jury rights group.
Til next week...
For Freedom
Mary Lou
BTW ... a reader of last week's column, "Support Private Animal Rescue
Efforts," wrote in and told me about Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, a
libertarian-operated program in Tennessee. The folks at this sanctuary truly
show how you can demonstrate your commitment to private action to solve
community problems.
Links:
o Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA):
http://www.free-market.net/rd/126899859.html
o History of Jury Nullification (ISIL):
http://www.free-market.net/rd/899406431.html
o Free-Market.Net Policy Spotlight on Jury Nullification:
http://www.free-market.net/spotlight/nullification/
o Freedom Law: Jury Rights:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/386418446.html
o "The Past is Prologue," by Shelly Waxman:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/503463260.html
o Freedom Lawyers of America:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/750053329.html
o FIJA State contacts & jury power groups:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/382628152.html
o FIJA Jury power flyers:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/385448323.html
o FIJA Trials Directory:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/260083033.html
>From last week:
o Freedom Farm Animal Shelter:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/388572142.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward and copy freely, and include the following:
The Freedom Action of the Week is a feature of Free-Market.Net
http://www.free-market.net/features/action/
Opinions expressed are purely those of our writers and editors.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this and other lists, click to:
http://www.free-market.net/features/lists/
To support the Action of the Week and other activities of FMN
and The Henry Hazlitt Foundation, please make a tax-deductible
donation now:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
--
"Anarchism is founded on the observation that
since few men are wise enough to rule themselves,
even fewer are wise enough to rule others."
-- Edward Abbey
In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.
, founded in 1995, is now a part of ISIL.
 |