Dec. 10, 2005
Sarasota Herald Tribune
All praises to the jurors who held firm to their belief that Sami Al-Arian was innocent of the charges against him made by our government. I am happy to hear that our university professors can continue now to criticize our government without fear of prison, as Dr. Al-Arian was subjected to. This is also a good step toward healing the treatment displayed toward Muslim-Americans, our neighbors, since the 9/11 attacks occurred. While Dr. Al-Arian is not yet completely vindicated, his being cleared on eight charges is a great sign that our trial-by-jury system works.

All it takes is one juror to stop someone’s life, liberty, or property from being taken from him or her. Just one — and the system was set up this way to protect us from the government’s excesses, as in the case of its accusations against Al-Arian. In fact, jurors even have the right to a not-guilty finding if they disagree with a law, such as marijuana prohibition or the Patriot Act. The Fugitive Slave Act, alcohol prohibition, religious oppression (in England) and the Alien and Sedition Acts were all nullified by responsible jurors who didn’t like the road we were headed down (too much government restriction of individual liberty) and rejected that path by refusing to convict their neighbors. Such people are some of the most important yet forgotten heroes of history.

Many Americans today look at jury service as a burden, something they want to get out of. Yet the jury is the ultimate check on government power, as government power cannot be enforced without a trial by jury.

To learn more about your rights as a juror, visit The Fully Informed Jury Association on the Web at www.fija.org.

Anthony Lorenzo, Sarasota