Good afternoon
Congratulations, New Hampshire juror rights educators! The NH Attorney General’s Office has cited the potential for jury nullification in a recent report concluding an investigation into alleged victimless cannabis-related offenses:
Long-Term Jury Nullification Campaign Paying Off in New Hampshire
According to the report, which can be accessed at the link above, the AGO declined to prosecute one person on victimless cannabis charges because “a jury would likely exercise its nullification prerogative to acquit” him, and declined to prosecute another on similar charges because “It is reasonable to conclude that a jury would reject dry conspiracy charges under these circumstances.”
We have seen similar results in recent years at the Hall of Justice in San Diego resulting from a long-term campaign of jury nullification conducted by San Diego Americans for Safe Access.
This is a photograph we received of prospective jurors reading FIJA literature as they waited to get into the Hall of Justice. This photograph was taken the same week as a jury hung 9-3 (favoring acquittal) on medical cannabis charges in the case of Tim O’Shea AND a second jury acquitted Jeff Olson of all 13 charges of so-called “vandalism” against him for chalking on the public sidewalk. O’Shea’s case was subsequently dismissed with prejudice by the judge, and the San Diego prosecutor reportedly began dropping charges against medical cannabis users not too long afterward.
Not only do fully informed jurors protect defendants who go to trial, but even the prospect of having to make a case before fully informed jurors dissuades prosecutors from trying meritless cases of victimless offenses.
Everything we are doing right now is laying the groundwork for protecting defendants even before they are prosecuted!
Do NOT wait for the first day of a trial of interest to you before you decide to do something. Get started TODAY!
Simply reply to this email to let me know you want to start a long-term outreach campaign in your area, and let’s discuss how I can help you with training, strategizing, materials, and so on.
All best wishes from Montana,
