Race-based jury nullification

RUNNING HEAD : RACE-BASED JURY NULLIFICATION

Arguments in Favor of Race-Based Jury Nullification

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Trial by jury in the United States is an indispensable part of due process . David A . Wenner (2007 ) once said that it is the cornerstone of democracy ' In view of its importance in America 's criminal justice system , the American Bar Association estimated that the United States accounts for over 95 of all the jury trials in the world even if England no longer relies on jury trial ( Trial by Jury

' 2008 . Lord Devlin , British law lord , once said that the jury trial is the lamp which shows that freedom continues to live ( Jury bears heavy burden as 'lamp of our freedom , 2007 ,

.1 . For the advocates and supporters of jury trials , the jury is more than an instrument of justice and more than one wheel of the constitution ( Jury bears heavy burden as 'lamp of our freedom , 2007 ,

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However , the performance of the duties of the jurors is often placed under scrutiny especially if they render not guilty verdicts despite the evidence presented against the accused . For instance , in January 2009 the jurors in La Salle County Circuit Court found Loren J . Swift not guilty of the charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver Several courthouse observers say that the jurors voted not guilty out of sympathy with him even if they believed that Swift was guilty

The objections against jury nullification spring from the lack of...