In short, if the jury have no right to judge of the justice of a law of the government, they plainly can do nothing to protect the people against the oppressions of the government; for there are no oppressions which the government may not authorize by law.
Spooner argues that without the jury's ability to judge laws, the government can oppress the people without accountability.
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In this manner all unjust laws are established, and made operative against the rights of the people.
Juries would refuse to enforce a tax against a man who had never agreed to pay it.
And whenever any number of men, calling themselves a government, do anything to another man, or to his property, which they had no right to do as individuals they thereby declare themselves trespassers, robbers, or murderers, according to…
They were even allowed to grant pardon to criminals, and to correct by their clemency the rigors of justice.