Not 1 More, Prisoner Of The Drug War~Jury Nullification
The criminalization of drugs has never been about safety. It is, and has always been, about control.
As we await the outcome of yet another promising piece of legislation, the MORE Act , aimed at providing justice for the some of the warriors in the trenches of the drug war, we have to be prepared for a disappointing result.
Time and time again our elected officials refuse to support legislation that would bring a meaningful end to the failed war on drugs. They fail to act, despite overwhelming support for reform. The massive lobbying efforts by the private prison industry, big pharma, and police unions drown out the voices of everyday people.
It seems no matter who gets elected, these conditions stay the same. So what can we do?
We have a vote in who will represent us in the creation of the laws we are expected to abide by. This is commonly known. But what happens when those representatives we elect refuse to follow the will of their constituents? What can we do when the laws don’t reflect our morals and values as an individual or community?
We have another, much more powerful, vote.
Way back in 1215 King John signed the Magna Carta also called the Great Charter of our Liberties. Concepts in this document became the foundation for our Constitutionally guaranteed system of justice in America, as well as many other countries. We are guaranteed the right to a trail by a jury of our peers. Under this system jurors have more power than Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court. Each juror in a jury trial has the final veto power over all laws and regulations.
~War Is Over~If You Want It~
Understanding Jury Nullification
Does the jury really have the power to veto bad laws? YES it does.
During the first jury trial before the Supreme Court of the U.S. in 1794, Chief Justice John Jay instructed the jurors “It is presumed, that juries are the best judges of facts; it is, on the other hand, presumed that courts are the best judges of law. But still both objects are within your power of decision." "...you have a right to take it upon yourselves to judge of both, and to determine the law as well as the fact in controversy".
As recently as 1972, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that the jury has an " unreviewable and irreversible power... to acquit in disregard of the instructions on the law given by the trial judge.... (US vs Dougherty, 473 F 2d 1113, 1139 (1972))
Please take a few minutes to read more here:
photos above by pixabay
The right to a trial by jury was a brilliant check of power. It’s intention was always to control tyrannical governments without bloodshed. Unjust laws and regulations could be nullified without the need for war. As a juror you are the final say. No one will be deprived of their Liberty unless you allow it. Get on a jury if you can. Acquit if your conscience requires you to.
From my earliest memories jury duty has been portrayed in the media as something you wanted to get out of. TV sitcoms, comedians, Hollywood, all made a joke of jury duty. They were full of content about why and how to avoid it.
Why?
Congress can legislate (make law), the President or some other bureaucrat can make an order or issue regulations, and judges may instruct or make a decision, but no JUROR can ever be punished for voting "Not Guilty!" Any JUROR can, with impunity, choose to disregard the instructions of any judge or attorney in rendering his vote. If only one JUROR should vote "Not Guilty" for any reason, there is no conviction and no punishment at the end of the trial. Thus, those acting in the name of government must come before the common man to get permission to enforce a law.
Continue reading this important information here:
https://famguardian.org/Publications/CitRulebook/rulebook.htm
Judges aren’t required by law to inform you of your power to judge not only the facts of a case but the laws being applied. So they don’t. In fact many jurisdictions strictly forbid this fact from being brought before a sitting jury.
In today’s judicial culture judges can and will instruct jurors that they do not have the right to consider the morality of a law or apply their own conscience to a verdict. However, there is no law against you saying “not guilty” for any reason. There’s no violation and no punishment you can receive. It is your right, and in fact your duty, to defend your fellow man from the thousands of unjust laws on the books today. Being judged by your peers, who are applying human morality and values, is the whole reason for a jury.
How do I use jury nullification to conscientiously acquit?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to educate yourself and others about these very important facts. You can vote “not guilty” and there is nothing anyone can do to you.
https://fija.org/library-and-resources/library/jury-nullification-faq/why-nullify.html
the whole war on pot has been an epic failure,
We get to vote next year on legalisation in my country - NZ
From our perspective for sure a failure, but it might have accomplished just what it was intended.
I hope they stop robbing and caging your countrymen for victimless crimes. I hope if you ever get on a jury you will nullify unjust laws. ✌️
I hope we can all remember this. If way take this approach and stand up for our rights together, there is nothing more powerful.
Thank you Richard. The only thing we really have to remember is that no one has more power over the enforcement of justice and laws than an informed person sitting on a criminal jury.
SOON WE WILL HAVE the GLOBAl cannabis LEGALIZATION dac using https://telosdac.org and https://eosdac.io
CANNABIS CELEBS and dispensaries will FIND proposal systems used to help get cannabis legalized with political campaign rallies news articles commercials paying volunteers funds to get events held at town halls we can surgically organize and strike and get all the fence states to legalize
Sounds great friend! I’m very passionate about this issue and if I had funding I would be able and willing to do so much more. Thank you for all your efforts towards this very important cause.
Well said, and I could not more strongly agree.
Thanks!
Thank you for reading and supporting freedom. I hope you are doing well.
Thanks! I feel the same about your work here, and your enjoyment of life.
I mean they COULD beat you up in the parking lot,
or just give you really dirty looks the entire time :-D
Great post! You deserve some more votes than this.
Thanks VIP! We have to stand together against tyranny.![2C286D0A-EEEA-4F0C-9AB5-4C6CA2B5823F.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmf1jfUpTzth37TmXbZ8uuFyBZptau4qFVf49Y6LjHqFcT/2C286D0A-EEEA-4F0C-9AB5-4C6CA2B5823F.jpeg)
Amnesty
Posted using Partiko Android
Peaceful rebellion ✌️
We need mental evolution, not a revolution - Einstein
Hello there! I thought this was a really interesting piece which made me reflect on our judicial system and its fairness. Thanks for publishing it.
I've decided to feature it on My entry to the Pay It Forward Curation Contest - Week 85
Links: 1Ramp / Busy / eSteem / SteemPeak / Steeve / SteemIt
Tribes: Natural Medicine / CreativeCoin / Neoxian / PalNet
Our system can be fair. It was definitely designed to be. Unfortunately it’s only fair when we have a well informed population. I will continue to do what I can to be well informed and help my community to be as well.
Thank you for reading my article and for helping share this important information. Thank you for caring about about the fair and equitable distribution of justice.
Congratulations @choosefreedom! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP
To support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Your post was featured in an entry into @pifc's Curation Contest:Week 85. Posts are selected because the entrant felt you are producing great content and deserve more attention (& rewards) on your post. As such your post has been upvoted and will be visited by other members of the PIFC Community.
We are always looking for new people to join our curation efforts. This is a great way to meet new people and become part of a community that focuses on helping one another.
Want to promote a post for free and have a chance to find some other great content? Check out this week's Pimp Your Post.
The Pay It Forward community also has a Discord Channel if you are interested in learning more about us.
Definitely an interesting perspective on jury nullification - and a good reason to request a jury if you ever need it.
I recently went through jury duty (I still have another four dates to be available over the next few months) - and yeah, I didn't get selected either... I actually wanted to do it though - I want the experience and to understand other people better.
I found you thanks to @trincowski who featured you in the Pay it Forward Curation Contest. Keep up the great work!
I’m happy you found my post. There’s a link in there that coaches you on how to increase your chances of being selected. https://fija.org/library-and-resources/library/jury-nullification-faq/how-do-i-conscientiously-acquit.html
That's useful. Thanks.
I know that I was not selected this time because it was a case involving a breached restraining order in a case of domestic violence. As I did go through that a number of years ago, I was not selected (I had to reply that yes, I was, etc...) I don't know how to reply to that question in a way that won't get me dismissed. Just because I had a bad situation doesn't mean I'm going to be partial when dealing with someone else's situation. (In fact, I've been recently counselling a male friend who went through a bad situation where he was the victim... so, I'm definitely able to look past the gender issue here.)
I would also like to know if there's a way to get called again more quickly once I've gone through it.
Are you on Discord?
I'm viking-ventures #2883
As far as getting called more frequently I don’t know. For the disqualifying question, should it come up again, you might try answering just as you mentioned here; that yes you have had a restraining order placed on someone in a domestic situation, but that you have also experienced someone close to you unjustly affected by a restraining order as well, and you can see both sides of issue.
I am on discord as choosefreedom. I don’t know my number lol.
It's a good idea to know your number, lol.
If you look at where your user name is at the bottom left of the screen, hover over it - you should get a four-digit number. It's used when looking for other people by user name.
Thanks for your thoughts.
choosefreedom #6225 :)
Nicely said @choosefreedom. I have always felt anyone who had/has been prosecuted for marijuana usage didn't get a trial of their peers. If they had they would not have been convicted. It sucks that it hasn't been until now that legislation is changing. As we have seen for any national change to take effect it needs to start in the states first. Once there is momentum there then change can be initiated ad a federal level. That is one of many reasons voting is important. Granted we do lose some our voice when it comes to the higher offices, but the lower offices, bonds and initiatives are more so under the public's direct input.
I loved being on a jury, it has been a while since then. It truly is an experience that everyone should partake in and stop trying to find reasons to get out of it. Again this is where we hold laws, officials and the like accountable.
You are featured in Week 85 - Pay It Forward Curation Contest by @trincowski
@pifc is a Pay It Forward Community which believes in by helping others grow we build a stronger community. We run this contest each week, it is open to everyone. It's a great way to some curation done, celebrate someone you find that might need some more exposure, meet new people, and possibly win some SBI for you and your featured Steemians.
Yes, it’s terrible that so many good people are still in cages for victimless “crimes”. No Victim, No Crime!