Behind Closed Doors
Go behind closed doors of the American criminal legal system to explore its inner workings with the Fully Informed Jury Association.
This unique podcast focuses on the American jury system. We will discuss its history and purpose, how it interacts with and is affected by other parts of the criminal legal system, and how our critical right to trial by jury has been driven to the brink of extinction.
Episode Guide
"Justice" without Juries: Hong Kong
We discuss recent arrests and prosecutions in Hong Kong under the new criminal legal system in which China has violated Hong Kong's Basic Law and done away with trial by jury and what warnings we should take from that given the tenuous state of trial by jury in the United States.
Keith Wood's Victory in the Michigan Supreme Court
We talk with juror rights educator Keith Wood about his recent victory in the Michigan Supreme Court, which overturned his false "jury tampering" conviction for sharing FIJA brochures outside the Mecosta County Courthouse. Then we hear from Clark Neily of the Cato Institute about how this case unfolded and what are its implications for future juror rights outreach.
"Justice" without Juries: China
Lily Tang Williams was born in China just after the Cultural Revolution and grew up there during the rule of Chairman Mao. She went to law school in China and served as a law school faculty member at Fudan University before immigrating to the United States and becoming an American citizen. We discuss the Chinese legal system and how it compares to our jury system here in the United States.
Jury Nullification in the Prohibition Era
We share with you some funny Prohibition Era cases FIJA has documented through our extensive research. Hear about many dedicated jurors who protected their peaceful neighbors from unjust convictions and made Prohibition unenforceable through jury nullification.
Jury Trials and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Catherine Bernard, criminal defense attorney and founder of Spartacus Legal, gives us a glimpse into how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our right to trial by jury.
The Juror Project
Will Snowden, founder of The Juror Project in New Orleans, discusses why he founded The Juror Project, what it does, the importance of all kinds of jury diversity to delivering just verdicts, discriminatory practices in jury selection, and what we can do to push back against those practices that undermine our right to trial by jury.
Jury Nullification 101
We dive right into the podcast by focusing on the heart of FIJA's mission: ensuring that everyone is fully informed of their right, when serving on a jury, to judge the law as well as the facts. In this nearly hour-long episode, Robert and Kirsten get into quite a bit of detail, complete with real-world examples of jury nullification in action.
Opening the Doors
A short episode introducing the Behind Closed Doors podcast, jury nullification and other topics that will be covered, the Fully Informed Jury Association, and your hosts Kirsten Tynan and Robert Anthony Peters.
Behind Closed Doors Podcast Trailer 1
A brief trailer for Behind Closed Doors, a show focusing on how the American jury system is supposed to function, how it is being undermined, and why we need to restore the full protective role of the jury in our legal system. Presented by the Fully Informed Jury Association.
