History Shows Juries as ‘Last Defense’

Re “Justices Say Jurors May Not Vote Conscience,” May 8:

The California Supreme Court drove the latest nail in the coffin of liberty by ruling against jury nullification. The court would rather have unjust laws applied to everyone than have juries set some free. They also wrongly blame jury nullification for all-white Southern juries acquitting whites of murdering blacks. As the Fully Informed Jury Assn. ( www.fija.org ) points out, the real problem is the courts’ jury selection practices, which exclude blacks even when they are 35% of the population.

In 1215, the English nobles knew the Magna Carta was worthless unless juries were free to acquit people of violating King John’s unjust laws. This is even more true today, since the courts are not protecting us. The U.S. Supreme Court recently OKd a Texas woman being handcuffed and thrown in jail for a seat-belt violation.

Our last defense is juries: the brave juries who acquitted Northerners for helping runaway slaves before the Civil War; who acquit medical marijuana users today; and who refuse to impose a “third strike” for a minor, nonviolent offense like shoplifting. Your vote may not count much at the election booth, but it certainly does when you vote to acquit.

Bruce Bell

Thousand Oaks

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Yesterday I saw two trucks parked in a no-parking zone, one of them in front of a fire hydrant. I also saw a police car drive by. Was that an instance of “police nullification”? On the freeway, does anybody really drive 65 mph? Is that because of “highway patrol nullification”?

Doesn’t the district attorney often file reduced charges against a criminal if he agrees to testify against his comrades (e.g., the Rampart case) or to some other plea bargain? Could that not be considered “district attorney nullification”?

Don’t judges throw out juries’ (and even other judges’) verdicts all the time? “Judge nullification,” maybe? Why is it that only the lowly juror must follow the letter of the law to a T, when nobody else does?

Stan Walker

Canyon Country

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I assume the court will now ask all prospective jurors: “Do you believe in the absolute infallibility of the Legislature?” Finding 12 who do is going to be a challenge.

Stefen Malone

West Hollywood