MIT President on Aaron Swartz

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 3:07 PM UTC

btilly wrote: post #200

rprasad wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a former defense attorney, I would have loved it if jury nullification was intentionally designed into the system. Unfortunately, it's not. It's just a great side effect of the right to a trial by jury. In the American legal system, the modification of laws is left to the legislature. A jury can express its displeasure with a law by nullifying, but this has no legal import, since a different jury could easily conv…

You have claimed to be a former defense attorney, which anyone can claim, and yet your comment history is full of incorrect statements about the law. Whether this reflects on your honest or competence I do not know, but I do not trust anything you claim. Former defense attorney or not.

Post by graysnorf » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 5:50 PM UTC

unreal37 wrote: post #161

nitrogen wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being labeled as a felon, with the implications thereof regarding voting, employment, serving on a jury, etc. is hardly an option worth considering.

So the two options were: 1) Plead not guilty, case drags on for years, costs $millions to defend, get convicted, serve 2-3 years in jail, unable to fight for something you believe in during that time 2) Plead guilty, case is over quickly, not expensive to defend, get convicted, serve 2-3 months in jail, get on with fighting for something you believe in I would say option #2 is "worth considering".