News (Media Awareness Project) - US NY: LTE: The Jury's Duty When The Law Is Unfair |
| Title: | US NY: LTE: The Jury's Duty When The Law Is Unfair |
| Published On: | 2011-12-29 |
| Source: | New York Times (NY) |
| Fetched On: | 2011-12-30 06:02:47 |
THE JURY'S DUTY WHEN THE LAW IS UNFAIR
To the Editor:
Jury nullification might sound appealing when it's used in a
defendant's favor to set aside petty laws. But jury nullification
doesn't just let off otherwise guilty people; it also convicts the
innocent. Would anyone congratulate a jury for ignoring the law
because of its animus toward the defendant rather than its sympathy?
Democratically accountable bodies write our criminal laws. Twelve
unelected and anonymous people should not be able to flout them behind
closed doors.
ADAM D. CHANDLER
Burlington, N.C., Dec. 21, 2011
The writer is a recent graduate of Yale Law School.
To the Editor:
Jury nullification might sound appealing when it's used in a
defendant's favor to set aside petty laws. But jury nullification
doesn't just let off otherwise guilty people; it also convicts the
innocent. Would anyone congratulate a jury for ignoring the law
because of its animus toward the defendant rather than its sympathy?
Democratically accountable bodies write our criminal laws. Twelve
unelected and anonymous people should not be able to flout them behind
closed doors.
ADAM D. CHANDLER
Burlington, N.C., Dec. 21, 2011
The writer is a recent graduate of Yale Law School.
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