Reason interviews marijuana activist NJ Weedman, who explains how he used jury nullification to defend himself in a medical marijuana trial. [9 min/ Legalize Drugs, Law & the Individual]
Comedian Doug Stanhope appeals to his audience, in his humorous way, to take jury duty seriously and nullify victimless crimes. [2 min]
Judge Andrew Napolitano tells the story of the first jury nullification in the U.S. [5 min]
Ron Paul outlines the merits of “jury nullification,” the little-advertised fact that juries have the power to disregard the law where they think it in error, i.e., to acquit a defendant even if he or she is unequivocally “guilty.” A few taped lectures aside, this is the only professional introduction to jury nullification out there. [28 min]
An excellent radio drama (audio not video) of the William Penn trial, in which a determined jury, intimidated and denied food and water by the court, held fast to their own verdict of ‘not guilty’, thus reaffirming the independence of juries. [30 min]
Links about Jury Nullification
Fully Informed Jury Association
Flex Your Rights
“If you are a member of a jury in a criminal case, even if you think the defendant is guilty of the crimes charged, you are entirely free to vote for acquittal if you think that the prosecution is malicious or unfair, or that a conviction in that case would be unjust, or that the law itself is unconstitutional or simply wrong. And if you do so, there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”
–USA Today
“Juries have been delivering independent verdicts in the interest of justice for over 800 years, serving as the final check on government’s power to pass unjust, immoral, or oppressive laws that leave citizens at the mercy of sometimes jaded or corrupt courts and legislatures. This was what the Founding Fathers feared, and this is the reason why they guaranteed trial by jury three times in the Constitution – more than any other right. In Jury Nullification, author Clay Conrad examines the history, the law, and the practical and political implications of jury independence…”
Book: The Evolution of a Doctrine
