Promotion of 'jury nullification,' 'God's law'

"There is Tranquility in Ignorance, but Servitude is its Partner."

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Booklet to jurors promotes 'jury nullification,' 'God's law'

Associated Press
Oct. 1, 2003 11:40 AM

GOLDEN, Colo. - A county treasurer is handing out booklets to potential jurors
saying they are answerable "only to God almighty" and not to the law when it
comes to deliberations.

Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Paschall, a former state lawmaker known for his
anti-abortion and pro-gun views, said the booklets are "my personal gift to the
people." He said the booklets, many stamped with his name and elected title,
were bought with $500 to $600 of his money and that of two political allies who
work in the treasurer's office.

The 61-page booklets promote "jury nullification," a concept promoted by
conservative groups that say juries have the right to not only decide guilt or
innocence, but also whether laws are just and adhere to God's law.
"You are above the law!" the booklet says. "As a juror in a trial setting, when
it comes to your individual vote of innocent or guilty, you truly are answerable
only to God almighty."

Said Paschall: "I want people to understand the form of government that we have
and the rights and freedoms that went before. If it raises eyebrows, I think it
perhaps ends up waking people up."

Some questioned whether Paschall has a right to distribute the material at a
government office, and County Attorney Bill Tuthill said he was looking into the
issue.
"I don't think it is appropriate to pass these out in the treasurer's office in
the county building," County Commissioner Pat Holloway said.

Added Cal Johnston, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party: "What is
the county treasurer doing handing out books like that?"
"He is using his office as a pulpit for his conservative opinions," Johnston
said.

During last year's campaign, Paschall vowed to speak out on Second Amendment
issues.
"I have said from the very beginning I was not going to be like any other
treasurer," he said. "I'm a passionate man, and I'm willing to stand up for the
things I believe in."

While the conservative concept is relatively new, juries have always in effect
practiced nullification from time to time. Juries refused to convict people who
harbored runaway slaves before the Civil War, sold alcohol during Prohibition or
resisted the draft during the Vietnam War.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1001biblicalbooklets-ON.html

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