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  • Essay / Importance of Jury Nullification - 845

    It is not explicitly stated in federal or state law because there were other means of democracy and justice. Although not provided for in the law, jury nullification remains a right because jurors can never be punished for their verdict. Throughout the 19th century, jury nullification remained an important safeguard and was used by juries in cases related to the Fugitive Slave Act, Prohibition, and other unpopular or unjust laws. The right to annulment was not challenged until Sparf v. United States, an 1895 Supreme Court case that debated whether or not federal judges were required to notify juries of their ability to judge the law in any legal matter. The outcome of the case was that the jury still had the right to disregard the instructions given by the judge, but the judge had no legal obligation to inform the jury of this. The Sparf case led to a gradual decline in support for jury nullification in American law in the 20th century and today. A jury always has the undeniable right to return a verdict of not guilty if it believes that the relevant law(s) in the case are unjust, even if this is looked down upon in the justice system. The case will either be declared a mistrial if an attorney mentions this right, or the juror will be struck during jury selection if he or she appears likely to invoke this right.