Jury nullification occurs in a trial when a jury acquits
a defendant they believe to be guilty of the charges against them. This
may occur when members of the jury disagree with the law the defendant
has been charged with, or believe that the law should not be applied in
that particular case. A jury can similarly convict a defendant on the
ground of disagreement with an existing law, even if no law is broken
(although in jurisdictions with double jeopardy rules, a conviction can be overturned on appeal, but an acquittal cannot).
A jury verdict contrary to the letter of the law
pertains only to the particular case before it. If a pattern of
acquittals develops, however, in response to repeated attempts to
prosecute a statutory offence, this can have the de facto
effect of invalidating the statute. A pattern of jury nullification may
indicate public opposition to an unwanted legislative enactment.
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