Libsyn Directory

Lyn Ulbricht on Cruel Punishment in the Prison Industrial Complex

Behind Closed Doors

We talk with Lyn Ulbricht of Mothers Against Cruel Sentencing about her experiences and the realities of sentencing and the prison industrial complex that many jurors are deliberately left ignorant of.

Right-wing Critics of Juries and Conscientious Acquittal

Behind Closed Doors

We talk with Clark Neily of Cato about increasing hostility to juries and "nullification" among right-wing pundits, and how such scaremongering fails both constitutionally and ethically.

Clay Conrad's Evolution of a Doctrine

Behind Closed Doors

We talk with Clay Conrad, author of the most comprehensive book on Jury Nullification and former member of FIJA's board, to discuss the history of Jury Nullification and its relevance in the current explosion of state power. Clay also emphasizes the importance of early education about the jury system.

Juries Under Attack in the UK

Behind Closed Doors

In the last week, the justice secretary of the UK labor government, David Lammy, proposed a major change to the UK justice system, removing the right to trial by jury in almost all cases. Just before this occured, Will Gillis, new Executive Director of the Fully Informed Jury Association, talked with Dr. Clive Dolphin of Defend Our Juries, a UK-based activist organization covering very similar ground to FIJA, to hear about how judges have become so enraged at the right of jury nullification and had many activists arrested for merely holding signs about it. Dolphin warned that the UK government...

"Justice" without Juries: Hong Kong

Behind Closed Doors

What does "justice" without juries look like in Hong Kong? Kinda like a dictatorship. We discuss recent arrests and prosecutions in Hong Kong, the destruction of trial by jury there, and what those of us who still have our jury rights should be aware of.

Keith Wood's Victory in the Michigan Supreme Court

Behind Closed Doors

We talk with juror rights educator Keith Wood about his recent victory in the Michigan Supreme Court, which overturned his false "jury tampering" conviction for sharing FIJA brochures outside the Mecosta County Courthouse. Then we hear from Clark Neily of the Cato Institute about how this case unfolded and what are its implications for future juror rights outreach.

"Justice" without Juries: China

Behind Closed Doors

We discuss with Lily Tang Williams the Chinese legal system and how it compares to our jury system here in the United States.

Jury Nullification in the Prohibition Era

Behind Closed Doors

We discuss some funny, historical trials by jury turned up through FIJA's research into the Prohibition era in which jurors protected their neighbors from unjust prosecutions.

Jury Trials and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Behind Closed Doors

We discuss the COVID-19 pandemic with defense attorney Catherine Bernard to learn how it is impacting our Constitutionally guaranteed right to trial by jury.

The Juror Project

Behind Closed Doors

We have our first guest in this episode—Will Snowden, founder of The Juror Project in New Orleans. Will discusses why he founded The Juror Project and what it does, the importance of all kinds of jury diversity to delivering just verdicts, discriminatory practices in jury selection, and what we can do to push back against those practices that undermine our right to trial by jury.

TOPICS