Roughly 90 tickets have been issued since March to volunteers with the loosely organized Food Not Bombs, which serves meals to people in need.

Too many of the potential jurors said that even if the defendant, Elisa Meadows, was guilty, they were unwilling to issue the $500 fine a city attorney was seeking, said Ren Rideauxx, Meadows’ attorney.

  • stoly@lemmy.world
    9·
    10 months ago

    LOL amazingly a jury can decide how they want and that’s the end of it. the fact that someone may not like it is immaterial.

    • frezik@midwest.social
      86·
      10 months ago

      Uhh, no. That’s not how it works.:

      According to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sparf v. U.S., written by Justice Harlan, juries have no right to ignore the law when rendering the jury’s verdict. However, nullification still occurs in some instances because of the secrecy of jury deliberations. It is difficult to determine if a jury negates the law, especially in close cases.

      If it was up to judges, it would never be allowed, and cases would go to appeal or retrial if it happens. It only continues because jury deliberations are private. If judges found out, they would toss it.

      • stoly@lemmy.world
        12·
        10 months ago

        You’ve just proven that the SCOTUS decision is fully unenforceable, which means that jury nullification is the de facto law of the land.

        • frezik@midwest.social
          34·
          10 months ago

          It’s not. People blab about it a lot. Often right during jury selection, which makes it easy.

          • stoly@lemmy.world
            2·
            10 months ago

            That’s the one time they will get you. The other is like in the Darryl Brooks trial where he tried to bring it up repeatedly and was shut down instantly by the judge.

            • frezik@midwest.social
              13·
              10 months ago

              People blab all the time when they think they’re on to something smart. It’s surprisingly reliable.

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
            1·
            10 months ago

            Very well. Please show the part of the federal criminal code that allows a juror to be prosecuted for thought crime. I will wait.