|
Necessity Defense Financial Assistance requested
JURY NULLIFICATIONWith "government" literally out of control there is need to promote a return to justice and true freedom in America. In addition to writing and calling U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, State Senators and Representatives, Governors, and any other relevant elected officials, and of course, voting for those on the side of freedom, we can study the actions of the jury in the case of John Peter Zenger. John Peter who? If you're a graduate of government-run schools, it's not surprising you haven't heard of John Peter Zenger. If you're a devotee of television legal drama, you're still not likely to have heard of this case. And if you've ever been a juror in any matter, it's especially likely that the judge never told you about the Zenger jury... even though their actions remain as one of the bases of our "American freedoms . "Modern" judges instruct juries in direct contradiction to the principle laid down by the Zenger jury, and threaten to sanction attorneys who remind juries of this principle... even though it's as valid today as it was in 1735. 1735?? What did a jury decide in 1735 that could be relevant to freedom today? The Zenger jury decided that even though John Peter Zenger had violated the law, the law itself was unjust. and therefore, John Peter Zenger was not guilty. The jury helped to re-establish the principle that the people as represented by the jury have the right to judge not only the facts of the case, but the law itself. In the Zenger case, the accusation was that Zenger had printed information critical of the Royal Governor of New York. (At that time, printing information critical of government was a punishable offense, termed "sedition".) The Royal Prosecutor admitted that what Zenger had printed was true, but still illegal, as even truthful criticism was banned. The defense also admitted what Zenger had done, but appealed to the jury on the grounds that the law itself was unjust. The jury agreed. Most historians agreed that the Zenger case was a landmark on the road to the writing of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which (among other things) established freedom of the press, including the freedom to publish information critical of "government." But the actions of the Zenger jury went much further than helping to establish press freedom in the USA: the Zenger jury helped establish the principle of "JURY NULLIFICATION." Simply put, JURY NULLIFICATION means that a jury is impaneled to judge not only the application of the law to the facts of any given case, but also the law itself. The power of NULLIFICATION is inherent in any jury, no matter if the judge "neglects" to point it out, or makes it seem that the jury is only there to decide the facts of the case. JURY NULLIFICATION is one of the last defenses of a "powerless" citizen against an unjust "government." Even if you or I are not on a particular jury ourselves, but making widely known the fundamental principle of JURY NULLIFICATION, we can influence the outcome in any case involving oppressive government. Making this principle widely known is easy! Please call the FULLY INFORMED JURY ASSOCIATION (FIJA) AT 1-800-TELL JURY. You'll be sent an information packet and an invitation to join (membership $25.00). If membership can't be afforded, join with a local FIJA group in handing out leaflets about JURY NULLIFICATION at local courthouses to prospective jurors. Talk to friends and neighbors, write letters to the editor of local newspapers, and in general spread the word about a jury's ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO INVALIDATE AN UNJUST LAW!  Editor
|
