Dodge learned (or remembered) that originally juries were empowered not just to determine the guilt or innocence of an accused party in court, but were also intended to act as a bulwark against illegitimate laws and unjust conviction. In short, a jury could ignore the law and free a defendant if they had moral objections to the law, or if they believed the State had overstepped its legitimate authority. More surprisingly, Dodge found that this right of juries still existed!
Not at all surprisingly, however, juries were not being informed of this right. Thus, the Fully Informed Jury Association was founded to make sure that this information became part of the general knowledge of ALL citizens of countries where juries played a part in trial proceedings.
FIJA - The Fully Informed Jury Association
The object of FIJA is to re-establish the trial jury not only as the
decider of justice in the case before it, but as a commentator on the law
itself, so that lawmakers enjoy ongoing access to the will of the people,
expressed through the verdicts of citizen juries. The action specified
in most versions of FIJA is a requirement that the court remind all jurors
of their right and responsibility to judge both law and fact when deliberating
a verdict in every action to which the government is a party (currently,
all criminal proceedings).
FIJA is a national non-profit educational organization, with tax-exempt
501(c)3 status. FIJA publishes and disseminates informational materials
of various kinds -- books, tapes, leaflets, information kits, taped telephone
messages, bumper stickers, cups, PSAs, banners, buttons, you name it. National
officers also make media appearances and periodically testify at legislative
hearings. For more information on FIJA call: 1-800-TEL-JURY or write:
FIJA, PO Box 59, Helmville, MT 59843.