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The War with the Law

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Judging the Jury
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Abstract

Having dispensed with incompetence and prejudice as primary determinants of jury verdicts, we are left with a final charge: Juries ignore or “nullify” the law and render verdicts based upon their own standards of justice. Critics of the jury system claim that juries are routinely at war with the law. Supporters acknowledge that the war takes place but argue that it occurs only when strict application of the letter of the law would result in an injustice.

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Notes

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© 1986 Valerie P. Hans and Neil Vidmar

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Hans, V.P., Vidmar, N. (1986). The War with the Law. In: Judging the Jury. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6463-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6463-2_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-306-42255-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-6463-2

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