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To: Mike4Freedom
It was their intention that juries should enforce the constitution, to determine what laws were unconstitutional and check the legislative branch (Federal or state).

Ignorant nonsense.

"The Sixth Amendment calls for a jury trial in criminal cases and the Seventh for a jury trial in civil cases at common law where the value in controversy shall exceed $20. This court has ruled that consistently with those amendments trial by jury may be modified by a state or abolished altogether. Walker v. Sauvinet, 92 U.S. 90 ; Maxwell v. Dow, 176 U.S. 581 , 20 S.Ct. 448, 494; New York Central R.R. Co. v. White, 243 U.S. 188, 208 , 37 S.Ct. 247, L.R.A.1917D, 1, Ann. Cas.1917D, 629; Wagner Electric Co. v. Lyndon, 262 U.S. 226, 232 , 43 S.Ct. 589, 591."

United States Supreme Court, PALKO v. STATE OF CONNECTICUT, 302 U.S. 319 (1937)


434 posted on 03/15/2003 11:38:02 AM PST by Roscoe
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To: Roscoe
That court opinion is ~truely~ ignorant nonsense.
435 posted on 03/15/2003 12:07:46 PM PST by tpaine
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To: Roscoe
Ignorant nonsense.

So court decisions can invalidate our explicitly stated constitituional rights and that is no problem and good little conservatives should go along. Is that what you are saying?

I am sorry but your theory of government leaves us with no protection from tyranny short of an armed revolution. Don't you think that some non-violent alternative should be available for the people to defend themselves from an out of control government?

This really is a key point. I know that the far right and the far left want government all powerful to impose their ideas. Each forgets that the all powerful govt can just as easily impose the other side's ideas. Libertarians understand what the founders made very clear. Government is a dangerous servant and a fearful master and the jury idea was the final non-violent check on its powers.

By the way, the founders did not invent this. It is part of our heritage from at least as far back as the Magna Carta (1215 AD).

441 posted on 03/15/2003 2:20:07 PM PST by Mike4Freedom (Freedom is the one thing that you cannot have unless you grant it to everyone else.)
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