THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Blog number 288 **** 06 March 2009

I first run into this little known fact several years ago and again today while reading one of my wife's favorite books by Robert Anton Wilson. I thought it might be useful knowledge to have if I were ever put in a position where it could be used. Then I thought it might be a good idea to inform others who might at some time find it useful.

First,
"The jury has the power to bring in a verdict in the teeth of both the law and the facts."
- Supreme Court Justice Oliver Holmes, Jr. (1920)

Second,
"It is not only the juror's right, but his duty, to find the verdict according to his own best understanding, judgment and conscience, though in direct opposition to the court."
- John Adams"

That is, the jury - not the judge - is the final arbiter of both the facts and the law. Thus, if a jury believes a law is unjust, it may find the defendant not guilty, despite the law (and despite judicial instructions to the contrary). This doctrine is known as "Jury Nullification."
- Robert Anton Wilson