Can you continue to support FIJA with a year end donation?


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 THANK YOU for Your Support!

Dear John,

May this note find you and your loved ones in the best health possible, both physically and mentally. 2020 has surely been a year in which nearly everyone has reflected on their health. Whatever measures you see fit to take in your own circumstances, I hope you have been able to connect during this holiday season with those who are important to you in ways that nourish, enrich, and protect you all. 

This year also has me thinking of those who have the least choice in these circumstances. People with no say in what they wear or don’t, how close to other people to be, or even what basic hygiene options they have. Never has my heart ached so much for those in prisons and jails. It is particularly crushing to think how many peaceful people now face the possibility of a de facto death sentence in virus-laden facilities for want of trials by jury with fully informed jurors exercising their right of jury nullification. 

As the only person here each day, I am fortunate that the FIJA office is well-suited to “social distancing.” Do you know what isn’t? Courthouses. Courtrooms. Jury boxes. Jury deliberation rooms. 

This has created a nationwide crisis with jury trials suspended entirely—in some places going on a YEAR—or moving so slowly that backlogs are expected to take years to resolve. All while people WHO HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN CONVICTED are locked up with their lives in danger and no release in sight.

It cannot be said too emphatically: without trials by jury, there can be no jury nullification.

As you read this, trials by jury are:

suspended INDEFINITELY in at least 9 U.S. district courts and STATEWIDE in at least 5 states,

suspended until a token future date in at least 51 U.S. district courts and STATEWIDE in at least another 12 states, and

suspended indefinitely or until a token future date in MORE THAN 75 additional courts in other states (undoubtedly many more—FIJA is not equipped for a complete inventory of local courts)

The health of your families, friends, and neighbors is rightfully first and foremost in your mind this year. But at this pivotal moment in jury history, serious consideration of the short- and long-term health of Constitutionally-guaranteed jury rights is also essential. When has the prognosis for jury rights been as alarming as it is today?

It’s not just the immediate situation that is of concern. This week it came to light that Georgia is using the TEMPORARY pandemic as an excuse to legislate PERMANENT degradations to trial by jury. They aim to weaken speedy trial guarantees to the point that indefinite detention of people who have been accused but not convicted could become “the new normal.” I can all but guarantee you this will be copied around the country wherever government can get away with it.

To ensure this increasingly dire situation does not go ignored, FIJA is kicking the Jury Health Project into high gear. In conjunction with that, you are invited to join FIJA for a State of the American Jury System briefing in January. 

This online session will cover FIJA’s research on jury issues during the pandemic, the Jury Health Project, and the deplorable state of trials by jury both nationwide and in your local community. You will learn which courts have been shut down around the country and for how long, hear about how speedy trial issues are being mishandled, get a glimpse into upcoming legislation and litigation over jury issues that have cropped up during the pandemic, and more. Details for participating will be shared in the first week of January at FIJA.org ([link removed]), via the email list, and on social media. A recording will be available afterward for those who cannot attend live.

For more than 30 years, FIJA has focused on educating people on jurors’ rights and the protective role of the jury in securing individual rights and liberty. This year FIJA’s workload has shot through the roof as we try to assess the damage being done to our jury system and sound the alarm nationwide to prevent this from becoming “the new normal.”

At the same time, understanding that this year’s developments have posed financial challenges to many, I have held off on fundraising this year as much as possible, but that is no longer feasible. Your support for preserving the full, protective role of the jury is absolutely CRITICAL NOW to continuing this work.

Please make your donation today on the FIJA website:

Donate to FIJA Now ([link removed])

For an organization with a budget as small as FIJA’s, every dollar you give makes a big difference! THANK YOU for your ongoing support of and friendship to FIJA.

With warmest wishes for liberty, justice, and peace in the New Year,

Executive Director
Fully Informed Jury Association

P.S. In a normal year, you’d find this letter in a mailing with your custom Jury Rights Calendar for the following year. Alas, this has been anything but a normal year. The calendars are in production at the moment and will be in the mail ASAP to all donors of $25 or more. I am sorry for the delay. Thank you for your kind and generous patience this year!

Donate to FIJA Now ([link removed])





P.O. Box 5570 | Helena, MT 59858 US

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