If you ever sit on a jury where a defendant is on trial after being charged with committing a crime, but where chargews against them should never have been brought in the first place (such as in the case involving battered woman Arlena Lindley), you have three verdict options. However, the judge will only advise you of two -- varying degrees of guilty, or not guilty. The third one they leave out is Acquittal by reason of Jury Nullification. This verdict is a very strong rebuke of prosecutorial abuse where charges against someone are completely inappropriate or without merit. This verdict option is an important finding from English Common Law, and was responsible for upholding our Rights of Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Assembly in the United States Constitutions Bull of Rights. It is the right of EVERY jusry, and it cannot be abridged.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:27:29 +0000
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