If anything whatever could be dictated to them, either of law or evidence, the sentence would not be theirs, but would be dictated to them by the power that dictated to them the law or evidence.
Lysander Spooner: “If anything whatever could be dictated to them, either of law or evidence, the sentence would not be theirs, but would…”
Editor's note · Context
Spooner argues that if juries are influenced by external dictates, their independence and judgment are compromised.
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They do not carry their heads high, above all other men, and demand our reverence and admiration, as statesmen, patriots, and benefactors.
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