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
