Informed Jury Movement
Informed Jury Movement
Date: | 01-08-12 |
Host: | Ian Punnett |
Guests: | Roger Roots, Kewaunee Lapseritis |
A lot of intimidation by judges goes on, he continued, citing how in one recent federal case, a judge repeatedly told a jury, 'you understand that you must follow my instructions on the law and it is a violation of your oath if you fail to follow my instructions.' But that's absolutely deceptive, because a judge knows that no jury can ever be punished for their verdict, Roots asserted. Another problem is that jurors are often kept in the dark about what sentencing will be, so they aren't able to evaluate if the punishment fits the crime, he noted. The organization FIJA works to inform potential jurors of these issues, and their legal rights.
Roots also spoke about how America has increasingly become a police state, with citizens often subjected to aggressive policing, and questionable searches and seizures. Now with the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, whereupon people can be arrested without a charge or lawyer, "it's a brand new day of tyranny," he lamented. Part of the problem, he noted, is that the US public has become apathetic and doesn't vote out or remove politicians who vote in favor of such fascistic policies.
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