2026-09-19 15:04 UTC
A good thing: the then justice secretary, #Lamny, sought to deprive Britons of an ancient right that had its roots in the Magna Carta. People would no longer be entitled to a trial by their peers in cases involving a likely sentence of less than three years. Instead, a lone judge would suffice. The collective wisdom of 12 independent minds is likely to be superior to that of a single individual. But this seemed to count for little. Nor did more than 800 years of precedent.
That egregious idea has now been removed as a motion in Parliament.
Xx
#defendourjuries
Replies (1)
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@wanwizard@mastodon.scot 2026-09-19 15:20
@Geri@veganism.social Given the percentage of people voting for Restore or Reform, I take that "collective wisdom" with quite a shovel of salt. But a sole judge is a bad idea too. It should be a minimum of 3, and a larger odd number for bigger cases. Having said that, the root cause of this issue is the fact that the judiciary is not independent of the government, and therefore for the influence of politics in applying the law. Not to use a jury in an attempt to right the wrong.