Null and Void
Jury nullification is "the process whereby a jury in a criminal case effectively nullifies a law by acquitting a defendant regardless of the weight of evidence against him or her." Although it is a widely unknown and rarely exercised power, jury nullification is gaining popularity among savvy jurors who feel mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana users are unjust. It is hotly debated as a protest tactic, especially because of its mixed history in the US. The process has been used to nullify unjust laws such as the Sedition Act, the Fugitive Slave Act, and Prohibition, but it was also used by all-white juries to ensure that violence against black people went unpunished.
According to this Web Times arcticle, public opinion of marijuana seems to be shifting toward decriminalization, juries might be more inclined to exercise their rights, like in the case of Loren J. Swift in Illinois. A Viet Nam veteran who was charged with possesion of marijuana with intent to deliver, Swift was acquitted by a jury despite the overwhelming evidence and his admission that he uses marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the jurors declined to state their motivation for the verdict, Swift's case and the increasing pressure to end the war on marijuana could indicate a comeback for jury nullification.
Story suggested by Preservedseed.
Creative Commons image: "jury duty - first time ever called" by JasonUnbound on Flickr.
Tweet- 2-17-09
- Erin Shaw's blog
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Lysander Spooner
Propaganda Anonymous
Erin, you are a cool damn person!Jury Nullification. That's what's up!Last time I heard about this was thru Robert Anton Wilson, while he was speaking about Lysander SpoonerGreat stufff grrrrl
Null & Void in Tax Court as well!
Spiritual ascension without drugs
Dear Erin,
Although it is always good to try and escape unjust laws (why are they making such a big fuss over THC?), I hope you will try to achieve spiritual ascension without drugs.
When younger, I must have used five or six different kinds of "illegal" drugs intermittently for their psychic effects. In California, girls even expected guys to bring joints with them on dates, for obvious reasons!
But in retrospect, I can see now (metaphorically) that it was all like a false path through the maze of life, leading only to a dead end.
To achieve spiritual ascension, and true life after death, you have to first become self-aware of your inner spirit flowing through the seven chakras, then learn how to project it across space (healing or energy transfer), then adopt a healthy style of life so that it will grow enough during your finite lifetime, to remain stable and coherent after you die.
There is no way to do that while using drugs, or drinking alcohol, or being addicted to any purely physical pleasures.
"In order to see the Kingdom of Heaven, you must be able to cause yourself to be born again." (from the Aramaic) (not many people understood what he was trying to say)
However....
Lysander - about that bit from R.A.W.
I remember R.A.W. saying once that a juror can rule a certain way if he thinks that person committed the act in question, but that it was not wrong. Was he talking about Jury Nullification? I have been wondering exactly what it was.
www.tri-freedom.com
Si senor
Propaganda Anonymous
Most prolly Bob was referring to Jury Nullification.
Any time he brought up anything to do with Juror's, he would nearly always bring up Jury Nullification.
He was a constant voice for it because there was and still is so much not told to people in court (not just those on trial)
Things that are on the books which are there to protect people's rights according to the Constitution and Bill of Rights, but things that those who know the law but wish to profit from your ignorance will not tell you about it.
That has been the case for Jury Nullification, as Erin's piece so brilliantly shows.