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> It helped get bad laws off the books in the civil rights cases and it would help here. I'm assuming you're referring to Rosa Parks-style civil disobedience a
by jberryman 13y ago
> It helped get bad laws off the books in the civil rights cases and it would help here.
I'm assuming you're referring to Rosa Parks-style civil disobedience and not so-called "jury nullification". The latter had an important role in the history of the civil rights mvt, but not a pretty one.
- jnbiche 13y agoNo, he's referring to jury nullification. Like almost any tool, it can be misused for unethical purposes, as it sometimes was against my fellow Americans of African descent in hundred years leading up to the civil rights movement. However, at an earlier point in history, jury nullification was used against the slave trade when many juries refused to convict anti-slavery activities of breaking the fugitive slave law. Presumably, using jury nullification to protect core values embedded in our constitution would not count as a misuse.