Limiting juries

The California Supreme Court drove the latest nail in the coffin of liberty by ruling "conscience must not sway jurors" (May 8). The court would rather have unjust laws applied to everyone than have juries set some free.

In 1215, the English nobles knew the Magna Carta was worthless unless juries were free to acquit people of
violating King John's unjust laws. Our last defense is juries like those who acquitted Northerners for helping
runaway slaves before the Civil War, who acquit medical marijuana users today and refuse to impose a "third
strike" for a minor, nonviolent offense like shoplifting. Your vote may not count much at the election booth, but
it certainly does when you vote to acquit.

-- Bruce Bell
Thousand Oaks