“The power of the jury to be judge of the law in criminal cases is one of the most valuable securities guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.”
it is each juror’s "duty" to vote based on his or her "own best understanding, judgment and conscience, though in direct opposition to the direction of the court.”
"In any civilized society, it is every citizen’s responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time,
it is every citizen’s responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., (1929-1968). 1964 Nobel peace prize, assassinated civil rights activist, nonviolent civil disobedience advocate
”We the People are the rightful masters of both Congress
and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to
overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”
- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th president of the USA.
"I was summoned for jury duty some years ago ... the attorney asked me whether I could obey the judge's instructions. I answered, "It all depends upon what those instructions are."
"I explained that if I were on a jury back in the 1850s, and a person was on trial for violating the Fugitive Slave Act by assisting a runaway slave, I would vote for acquittal regardless of the judge's instructions. The reason is that slavery is unjust and any law supporting it is unjust."
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Dr. Walter E. Williams, influential African-American economist, John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University.http://ezinearticles.com/?Jury-Nullification-Protects-You-Against-Bad-Laws---Part-15-in-The-Right-Response?&id=7650148
The Right Response? How to reduce violent crime and guarantee your safety!
DC110 R TRR-14 Jury Nullification page99