After
Win in Court “NJ Weedman” Plans Jury Nullification Awareness Tour
By JG Vibes
Intellihub.com
March 28, 2013
With few options left for communities to protect themselves from the ever growing police state, an old and long forgotten aspect of constitutional law is making a huge comeback, and becoming very popular in cases where people are facing jail time for nonviolent offenses.
This reemerging defense is the act of jury nullification, which is basically the right for any juror to not only judge the facts of the case, but to also actually judge the validity of the law itself. This means that if a jury feels that a defendant is facing an unjust charge they actually have the right to rule in their favor even if they are technically guilty.
In 1782, Thomas Jefferson wrote in his book “Notes on the State of Virginia” that “it is usual for the jurors to decide the fact, and to refer the law arising on it to the decision of the judges. But this division of the subject lies with their discretion only. And if the question relate to any point of public liberty, or if it be one of those in which the judges may be suspected of bias, the jury undertake to decide both law and fact.”
Considering the fact that most of the nonviolent offenses on the books today are extremely unpopular for a variety of reasons, you would think that jury nullification would be household knowledge, or taught in schools even. However, this is a very well guarded secret, with many judges actually preventing the defense from informing juries of their right to nullify laws that they feel are unjust. Some places such as New Hampshire are actually passing laws which prevent the judge from keeping this a secret.
On June 18, 2012 Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire signed HB 146, which reads: “In all criminal proceedings the court shall permit the defense to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.”
This sort of legislative approach is important and commendable, but people don’t have to wait for laws like this to pass in their area. Anyone who ever sits on a jury has the ability to speak out to the other jurors and let them know of their full rights. Even people who aren’t picked for jury duty still have the ability to inform their neighbors, friends and family about the existence of jury nullification, as this is becoming an extremely important tool in these strange and difficult times that we are living in.
Jury Nullification Tour
Ed Forchion is a medical cannabis user and cancer patient known as the “NJ weedman”. Ed claims dual residency in Pemberton Township, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California. Due to his residency in California he has a prescription for Cannabis and is legally allowed to grow and consume the plant in that state.
However, he is not legally allowed to possess the plant in the state of New Jersey and unfortunately while in New Jersey on April 1, 2012 Forchion was stopped by police and found with a pound of cannabis and $2,000, enough to get slapped with a distribution charge.
Ed’s primary strategy throughout his whole ordeal has been jury nullification, much to the dismay of Superior Court Judge Charles Delehey, who presided over both trials.
Forchion was passionate in his closing arguments, wearing a shirt that said “Marijuana … It’s OK. It’s Just Illegal” and telling the jury that he had been munching on pot cookies throughout the whole trial. Then at one point he was nearly held in contempt of court for trying to advance his jury nullification argument.
When Forcion started to talk about nullification, Delehey quickly stopped him, reminding him that he wasn’t allowed to go there, but Forchion fought back with intelligence and intensity. Frustrated, the judge ordered the jury out of the room and told him he would be held in contempt if he continued to speak the truth.
According to Phillyblurbs the judge told him “If you want to make a martyr of yourself, the court will deal with you. You’ve done everything you can to disrupt this trial.”
Despite the bullying of the judge, a jury of 12 decided that the law he had broken was illegitimate, and they ruled not guilty.
Now the NJ Weedman is taking his message on the road, in hopes to inform others about the process of jury nullification, that actually saved his saved his life.
Video:
The following message is posted on an indiegogo.com page for this project:
I am Robert Edward Forchion jr, – aka- “NJWeedman” one of the the most active and prominant marijuana activists in the nation. Im virtually the only African-American Marijuana activist in the nation and I recently won a huge Jury Nullification “marijuana” case in New Jersey. (READ: NJWEEDMAN UPENDS MARIJUANA LAWS). I want to go on a nation-wide Jury Nullification enlightment tour and Im asking for your help in raising cash for this project.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NJWEEDMAN)
NJweedman is one of the few outspoken African-American MJ activist in the nation and his perspective on the “WAR on DRUGS” has been reported on for years now by mainstream press nationally. His recent case (2012) in New Jersey highlights how important and accurate his veiws on the WAR on DRUGS have been. He has been predicting the Reefer Revolution will begin with Jury Nullification victories for years now. Some call him the 21st century William Penn others say he should be in the Penn, but on Oct 18th, 2012 a New Jersey Jury said he was like William Penn and set him free — (READ: JURY FINDS WEEDMAN NOT GUILTY )
THE PLAN – iterniary
JUNE 1st, 2013 begin summer long Jury Nullification Tour from the steps of the Burlington County Courthouse, meadering around the country and ending in Hollywood California on Sept 6th “JURY RIGHT DAY”.
Jim Babb and NJweedman holding JN sign outside Burlington County NJ courthouse during NJWeedman’s trial.(Oct 2012)
“My life was saved by Jury Nullification and I want to give back to society by helping other marijuana defendants across the country. Enlightening their local public to a Constitutional tool for “WE THE PEOPLE” to win this “War on drugs” with NULLIFICATION!”
NJWeedman says this is a real “WAR” that is waged on “us”; by our own Government. We must resist, we must fight back con Capitulation, No Cooperation and no convictions. NJWeedman thus is wants to go on the offense, “PIMPIN OUT” his weedmobil with cameras/audio and a plan to make a “reality show series” and a documentary out of his 420 adventures.
He wants to take his “WEEDMOBIL” on the road, visiting towns and cities across the country lending support and Jury Nullification enlightenment to targeted Juries and communities nationally. Getting airtime on local radio and TV. Stopping at “high” profile marijuana festivals such as the, Seattle Hemp Fest, and Boston Freedom Rally. All the while video recording everything around and in THE WEEDMOBIL, the center of his travels. – http://vimeo.com/19910141
Most importantly NJweedman wants to roll into towns a few weeks before a marijuana defendants trial begins. With the goal of using himself and THE WEEDMOBIL to generate news stories in the local newspapers talking about Jury Nullification – reaching this individuals potential jurors. NJweedman wants to distribute massive amounts of fija fliers ( www.figa.org ), and pass out leaflets explaining Jury Nullification all round the courthouse precending trial as he did in his own trial
NJWeedman wants to pitch this idea to major TV networks as a reality show and for a documentary.
The idea will be – once the show gets publicity Defendants nation-wide wishing or seeking to use the NJWeedman defense will enlist his help. We envision they would call and ask him and THE WEEDMOBIL to come to their town – to make a big deal of their case and promote Jury Nullification “420″.
The Impact
The impact of this project on America’s “WAR on DRUGS” as a whole could be enormous. The plan is to travel the whole country going to urban and rural communities alike White communities and brown communities. If this project gets picked up by a network as a “reality series”, or real life documentary it could impact how thousands of marijuana defendants who chose to defend themselves. The show would be about the travels of NJWeedman in his Weedmobil but the main goal would be to enlighten Americans to the concept of Jury Nullification as a defense to the tyrannical prosecutions of peaceful pot smokers. (victims of our nations war on drugs.
This is the type of press coverage I got when I did this for my own case and I believe I could use THE WEEDMOBIL and myself as examples to locals on how to win marijuana cases with a jury. – ( THE TRENTONIAN – VIDEO INTERVEIW FROM INSIDE WEEDMOBIL )
“THE BUCKET LIST”
(1) – Cash $$$$$
(2) – Executive Producer
(3) – Writer
(4) – Co-star/Co-driver
I’d like to find a auto shop in Los Angeles willing to “Pimp-out” the interier of THE WEEDMOBIL, we’d film this as part of the first episode in exchange for the work.
$$$$, a EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, writers, co-stars, Cameras, the weedmobil repaired and some pimping out, Gas money, food money, living money, support for the editing/film crew, hotel fares. Come on some well off smoker out there has got to think this is a good project – $420.
The more cash raised the better this project will be! Come on Stoner Army & the Cannabis Consuming Community of America support this. George Zimmerman has raised over $1,000,000 as the face of the Standy Your Own Ground “murder anybody” Law, and I with millions of Marijuana users who want to end the “War on Us” has problems? All potheads please donate $4.20!
What is needed
(1) – 8 GoPro cameras
(2) – Pimping out of THE WEEDMOBIL
(3) – Road repairs ( wheel alignment, new front tires – tune up)
Other Ways You Can Help
If can’t contribute $$$, that doesn’t mean you can’t help:
- Help
get the word out via social media and make some noise!
- Use
the Indiegogo share tools!
- Call
your local press
- Contact
your favorite “weed celebrity” tell them to support this!
- Let
defendants in your area know about this project.
- ALL
POTHEADS should help with this – The Jury Nullification Project
SEE – http://www.njweedman.com
******
http://intellihub.com/2013/03/28/after-win-in-court-nj-weedman-plans-jury-nullification-awareness-tour/
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