“No Kings” is a good starting point...
Protests as a place for outreach and education about jury nullification
Almost everyone is inconsistent in their support for liberty, but just the same almost everyone feels its appeal. We may disagree with our neighbors on many things, and we may judge the various ways they have not always championed liberty, but when they have reason to recoil from the jackboots it can be a learning opportunity to become more consistent and principled.
FIJA is a non-partisan organization, but in defending the rights of jurors and emphasizing Lysander Spooner’s abolitionist values, we inevitably find ourselves critical of whatever party is in power. The drastic expansions of state power under the Trump administration, to say nothing of further erosion of constitutional checks and balances, has sent millions of liberals marching in the streets under the banner of “No Kings.” And while it’s easy to be standoffish or cynical, given the policies many of those marching have naively supported or continue to support, liberty flourishes when we engage in good faith. To that end, FIJA activists have turned out to these “No Kings” marches with literature on the rights of jurors and the vital role of juries in checking tyranny.
Conversations about liberty have to start somewhere, and sincere horror at instances of injustice or unchecked power are a starting point that can transform lives.
The modern trial by jury, and the inextricable right to jury nullification, has its origin in struggles by commoners against kings and lords in feudal Europe. When some brag of supposed unchecked presidential power and stage military occupations of American cities, there are few greater examples of checks against potential “kings” than jury nullification.
This October 18th, millions of Americans plan on marching in another of these “No Kings” protests—we encourage FIJA activists and supporters to show up and treat them as an opportunity for education and productive conversation. A list of planned events is available here.
Americans can disagree on many things, but our nation was founded on a rejection of kings and it’s worth embracing that impulse everywhere on the political spectrum that it can still be found.