Montana jury rebellion reaches New York Times DrugWarRant / Pete Guither / 12,23,2010 This is great. The more people who read about jurors exercising their absolute right to question the law, the better. There are still too many people out there who don't know that it's OK for a juror to wonder whether it's appropriate to waste taxpayer resources going after marijuana. Marijuana fans are calling it the Mutiny in Montana. Well, actually no. It was the deputy district attorney who called it a mutiny. Marijuana fans were calling it the proper job of jurors. However, I've got to admit that “The Mutiny in Montana†has a nice ring to it. Mr. Cornell did plead guilty to the felony, but by Wednesday, what appeared to be a case of juror revolt, which was first reported by The Missoulian, was being trumpeted by pro-marijuana Web sites as yet another sign of the nation's increasingly liberal attitude toward the drug. Again, no. Not a sign of increasing “liberal†attitude toward the drug. A sign of increasing knowledge about the drug, the drug war, and the problems with our criminal justice system. And this was our two steps forward in this dance of DEAth for the dragon we have created and our legislators maintain with stupid appointments,budget approvals,and just ignoring numerous bills aimed at reform. That would save America billions of tax dollars,just in investigative/court/incarceration costs,not to mention billions in taxes,job creation,business opportunities and the very things our economy is screaming for,keep our economy viable by keeping our income here. Produced HERE,regulated HERE,and enjoyed Here,,,,,,regardless of where it comes from.
I had heard of jury nullification before. It's even more AWESOME that they couldn't even get a jury together to get to that point! Upon reading up on jury nullification, I read that upwards of 60% of alchol-related cases were thrown out due to jury nullification, and ultimately, it was the inability to convict in a court of law that overturned alcohol prohibition, and NOT the politicians coming to their senses. I think we have seen our path to victory. Let people know about their right as a juror to nullify. Let the people take the power back and restore sanity. Lord knows the politicos won't do it.