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Questions tagged [jury-nullification]

The legal theory that a jury can acquit a defendant even if they believe him to be guilty according to the letter of the law. The jury, in effect, nullifies the law in the case they decide.

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What is jury nullification?

What is jury nullification and what are its origins and history? What actions by a juror would be considered nullification?
Jason Aller
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Why is it unlawful for an officer of the court to inform a jury they may find as they see fit, absolutely?

Jury nullification may not be the worlds best know term, but it's certainly no stranger to this Stack. I'm curious how it comes about, and how it is legally justified, that an officer of the court is forbidden from telling a jury of a right that it…
Stilez
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How can a jury know about jury nullification?

It appears that jurors are not allowed to be told that they can ignore the law and thus use their right of jury nullification. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_nullification#Canada The contrary principle contended for by Mr. Manning, that a jury…
cnst
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Can a judge legally forbid a jury from Nullifying a verdict if they ask him about it before rendering a verdict

Let's say I'm part of a jury in a case where I believe jury nullification may be warranted, and that my other jurors may agree with me, and so I suggest it to my fellow jurors. My jurors ask me what would happen if they voted to nullify the verdict…
dsollen
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Can a case get thrown out because of "jury nullification?

With regard to this question, a patent lawyer told me that if one of the other jurors tried to teach the others his view of patent law, and they followed him, rather than the judge, that would be a form of "jury nullification." He said that that's…
Libra
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Challenging jurors for cause based on beliefs in jury nullification

In the United States, is belief in jury nullification generally a valid reason to challenge a jury for cause?
Kevin Li
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Law in fiction: acquittal of Moriarty in *Sherlock* TV series

[clarification: I'm posting this question here because it is arguably a better forum than scifi.SE] In "The Reichenbach Fall" (Sherlock season 2, episode 3), Jim Moriarty breaks into the Jewel House at the Tower of London, the vault of the Bank of…
Koldito
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Do decisions based on personal beliefs constitute juror misconduct?

A person is on trial for bank robbery. The perp robbed a bank, and punched a teller. One of the jurors hates banks, and believes "No one can really rob a bank as turn around is fair play". This juror refuses to convict on the robbery despite…
Pete B.
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Can a court judge override a jury decision?

My knowledge of law is minimal, I'm curious about edge cases in the jury/judge dynamic. When can they override each other, interesting situations where decisions that would typically be made by one party gets made by the other?
hellyale
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Why was the Armenian assassin of Talat Pasha acquitted for murder?

The Armenian assassin of the ex-Ottoman Grand Vizier Talat Pasha, Soghomon Tehlirian was acquitted of murder in his trial. His defence was that he was killing Talat Pasha in retaliation for his crimes in orchestrating the Ottoman Armenian Genocide.…
March Ho
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Can a defense attorney face any serious repercussions for trying to induce jury nullification?

Say the prosecution has irrefutablly concrete evidence that the defendant commited the crime of which he is accused. Knowing this, the attorney of the defendant plays on empathy and convincing the jury that, yes, the defendant commited the crime,…
Ethan
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Is there evidence that grand juries in the United States ever practiced a form of jury nullification due to bad behavior by the executive branch?

The United States legal system includes many checks and balances; one such check that lies in the hands of the people is the requirement that federal prosecutors obtain indictments from a grand jury prior to charging someone with a federal felony…
nben
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Isn't it a clear conflict of interest that expert witnesses are paid/compensated handsomely for their testimony?

Unless you're in some public office (in which case you are compelled to), expert witnesses are monetarily compensated "handsomely" to offer their testimony. See https://law.stackexchange.com/a/70502/45435 But isn't this a clear conflict of interest?…
chausies
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Is the judge allowed to nullify laws?

If a jury disagrees with a law, it's allowed to exercise a right known as jury nullification. However, what about civil cases (e.g., in a Superior Court in California) that are presided by a judge alone, with neither plaintiff nor defendant…
cnst
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Is there any way to stop a rogue jury from making a deliberately bad decision?

It seems to me that juries potentially have the ability to deliberately and maliciously make decisions they know are wrong. For example, a jury might happen to say, "We know he's guilty, but we're acquitting him because we hate the government." Or…
SegNerd
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