MLchartDataset catalogue

Jury nullification

Term · Law · MLC-T-LAW-002865

The power of a jury in a criminal case to acquit a defendant, even when the evidence clearly indicates guilt, if the jury believes the law itself is unjust or its application in that specific case would be unfair. This controversial power is not officially sanctioned by courts but is an inherent aspect of the jury system. It is rarely exercised and judges typically do not inform juries of this power.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-LAW-002865
FieldLaw
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-002865",
  "term": "Jury nullification",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "The power of a jury in a criminal case to acquit a defendant, even when the evidence clearly indicates guilt, if the jury believes the law itself is unjust or its application in that specific case would be unfair. This controversial power is not officially sanctioned by courts but is an inherent aspect of the jury system. It is rarely exercised and judges typically do not inform juries of this power.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/jury-nullification/"
}

Record 2,807 of 5,441 in Law terminology (MLC-0107). Request the full dataset.