Jurors should be number one

 Jury Slavery   Jury Slavery

Posted by Lew Rockwell  Lew Rockwell on July 4, 2011 10:21 AM

I've done my best to avoid the Casey Anderson trial, though as usual, I am biased against the prosecution. But I heard yesterday that the jurors will have spent about seven weeks for this government trial. The judge is paid; the lawyers are paid; the court clerks and guards are paid. They are all there voluntarily.  Jury "service" should be paid, and voluntary, too. How about a per diem equal to the judge's? Governments love to spend money, so frugality is not the reason for conscripted, unpaid jurors. I think this practice is seen as keeping the jurors from becoming uppity. All the more reason to reform this evil practice. Oh, an all hail jury nullification.

 The thoughts above from LR are great..... I would want to add that Jurors should have the following perks .........

#1   They can insist on evidence being developed about the case

#2   They can submit questions to the witnesses

#3   They get to listen to all Judge/ lawyer conferences

#4   They are selected at random from a pool of people who have volunteered to be jurors.  Once selected they can decline.  They cannot be dismissed except for conflict of interest.

#5    To convict requires 12 unanimous jurors.  Less than 7  jurors voting guilty results in acquittal.

#6    They can read anything, research anything about the trial.

#7    The lawyers can present any material they wish .... including jury nullification.

Trials would have time limits.

99jury  99guspuppet