Truth 
in politics. 
What a concept!

Make Judges Respect Jury Rights 

By Kevin Barrett 

The bulwark of our legal system is the right to trial by jury. The Constitution enshrines the right to a speedy public jury trial.  

I support the work of the Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA). FIJA correctly asserts that jurors have the right and the duty to judge the law as well as the facts in criminal cases.  The job of the jury is not just to decide whether the defendant broke the law. It is also to decide whether the law itself is just, and, if so, whether it ought to be enforced in the circumstances under consideration.

For example, a jury may decide to acquit an admitted marijuana smoker because she was using the marijuana to ease the pain of terminal cancer.  

The right of the jury to acquit for such reasons provides a much-needed brake on the power of over-reaching politicians and over-zealous law enforcement. 

Judges should stop lying and denying that this right exists. It does, and centuries of legal history prove it. For details, visit http://www.fija.org 

If elected, I will introduce legislation mandating that judges in all criminal cases stop lying, as most do now, and inform jurors of their rights.

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