Jury pool mutiny in Marijuana case

Jury pool mutiny in Marijuana case

A funny thing happened on the way to a trial in Missoula County District Court last week.

Jurors – well, potential jurors – staged a revolt.

They took the law into their own hands, as it were, and made it clear they weren’t about to convict anybody for having a couple of buds of marijuana. Never mind that the defendant in question also faced a felony charge of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

The tiny amount of marijuana police found while searching Touray Cornell’s home on April 23 became a huge issue for some members of the jury panel.

No, they said, one after the other. No way would they convict somebody for having a 16th of an ounce.

In fact, one juror wondered why the county was wasting time and money prosecuting the case at all, said a flummoxed Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul.

District Judge Dusty Deschamps took a quick poll as to who might agree. Of the 27 potential jurors before him, maybe five raised their hands. A couple of others had already been excused because of their philosophical objections.

“I thought, ‘Geez, I don’t know if we can seat a jury,’ ” said Deschamps, who called a recess.

And he didn’t.

hopefully this attitude spreads like wildfire through all 50 states.

we the people control this country, not the government.
 
The ins and outs of jury nullification should be a week long course included in the American Government class all high school student have to take.
 
Too bad that most of the time jury nullification is basically used as a way to legitimize violence against or prevent redress of wrongs to unpopular persons. Jury nullification can easily be used as a way to de facto repeal our rights by removing the protection of the state from those who exercise them. It's not all sunshine and roses.
 
Too bad that most of the time jury nullification is basically used as a way to legitimize violence against or prevent redress of wrongs to unpopular persons. Jury nullification can easily be used as a way to de facto repeal our rights by removing the protection of the state from those who exercise them. It's not all sunshine and roses.

You mean like abusive husbands?
 
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