The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution theoretically guarantees “the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” One common misconception is that juries are required to convict if it is clear that the defendant has broken the law in some way. Criminal courts will usually try to pressure juries into following the law, but the point of having a jury trial is that juries can choose to refuse to convict if they feel that the law is unjust and the case should never have made it as far as the courtroom. This is called jury nullification and can pull the teeth of an unjust law if applied consistently.
Jury Nullification
It sends a message to attorneys and law enforcement agencies that they might as well not waste taxpayer dollars by enforcing bad laws. However, criminal…
