[Newspoetry] Re: spreading a meme

[Eric S Parent]

I have an idea too.

Kind of unrelated.

Jury Nullification--the right of the jury to vote 'not guilty' even when
they think the person on trial is guilty, if they don't think the punishment
is appropriate.  This is especially cool in cases where the jury has to be
unanimous to convict:  in such cases it just takes one juror to castrate the
court's ability to convict a person.

What this means is that The People have the power to make unjust laws
impossible to enforce, if enough people are willing to Nullify.  For
instance, a person on trial for using medical marijuana would be impossible
to prosecute if there were no juries willing to convict him.

Unfortunately, prosecuting lawyers generally ask prospective jurors if they
believe in Nullification and select only ones who don't.  Or else judges
convince juries (wrongly) that Nullification is illegal and unethical.
Nullification is actually an important part of the judicial process--it is
the way that The People can stop the enforcement of unjust laws.

The solution?  Try to make sure as many people as possible know the truth
about Nullification.  Make it impossible for the court to find a jury they
can manipulate into supporting unjust laws.  Pass out fliers in front of
courthouses with information on Nullification.

And when they ask you if you believe in Nullification, say 'No.'  It may be
unethical to lie under oath, but it's more unethical to prune the jury of
its right to Nullify by selecting for ignorance and complicity.

--Dr. Pipe