Jurors have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to their conscience
Juries put the moral intuition of ordinary people into the heart of the criminal justice system.
Over the last few years juries have repeatedly acquitted those taking nonviolent direct action to advance climate and racial justice. These verdicts are deeply embarrassing to the government and the arms and oil industries. Industry lobbyists such as Lord Walney, who has now been fired from his position as an “independent” advisor, have promoted extraordinary measures to put a stop to them.
People have been banned from using the words ‘climate change’ in court and jailed just for defying that prohibition. Normally available legal defences have been removed. People have been arrested and prosecuted for displaying the legal principle that juries can acquit as a matter of conscience. Following sham trials, in which the verdict is essentially rigged, people are now being jailed in increasing numbers for years for peaceful acts of conscience. In the midst of the prisons crisis.
Defend Our Juries supports collective action to expose this corruption of democracy and the rule of law. Read more >
The aims of the Defend Our Juries campaign are:
- to bring to public attention the programme to undermine trial by jury in the context of those taking action to expose government dishonesty and corporate greed
- to raise awareness of the vital constitutional safeguard that juries can acquit a defendant as a matter of conscience, irrespective of a judge’s direction that there is no available defence (a principle also known as ‘jury equity’ or ‘jury nullification‘)
- to ensure that all defendants have the opportunity to explain their actions when their liberty is at stake, including by explaining their motivations and beliefs.
In July 2026, a founding member of Defend Our Juries passed away aged 39 following a battle with cancer. El Litten’s offerings to Defend Our Juries are a powerful reminder of the immense strength that behind-the-scenes contributions make. El combined technical skills with fiercely loving confrontation to injustice on the streets. They extended support to so many with delightful humour, beauty-filled creativity, and endless love. Here are some words from El, which they shared with us shortly before they died:
“This is where the hope is really, even as the world gets darker – in all the people making small organisations & groups & projects; protecting people & environment, building bridges & community, sounding the alarm, defending the role of juries, opposing genocide.”
