What is jury nullification? Give examples. Are you for or against it? Why or why not? What do you understand by “Nolo Contendere Plea”? What is the effect of this plea? Distinguish between a grand jury and a trial jury. What is “a hung jury”? DISTINGUISH BETWEEN AN “INDICTMENT” AND AN “INFORMATION.”
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Jury Nullification
Jury nullification refers to the power of a jury to acquit a defendant, even if the evidence presented proves their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This occurs when the jury believes that applying the law in a particular case would lead to an unjust outcome. Examples of jury nullification include:
Prohibition era: During the Prohibition era in the United States, juries often nullified cases involving violations of alcohol laws by refusing to convict individuals accused of possessing or selling alcohol. This reflected public sentiment against the prohibition laws.
Civil rights movement: In some cases during the civil rights movement, juries nullified charges against individuals who violated segregation laws. These juries believed that the laws were unjust and chose not to enforce them.
As an AI language model, I don’t have personal opinions or biases. However, I can provide you with some arguments for and against jury nullification:
For Jury Nullification:
It serves as a check on unjust laws and allows juries to act as the conscience of the community.
It can be a means for citizens to express their disagreement with certain laws or government actions.
It allows flexibility in the application of the law, considering the uniqueness and specific circumstances of each case.
Against Jury Nullification:
It undermines the principle of the rule of law, as juries are supposed to apply the law, not make it.
It may result in inconsistent outcomes and erode consistency and predictability in legal decisions.
It can be used to perpetuate bias or discrimination if juries nullify based on personal prejudices rather than the merits of the case.
Nolo Contendere Plea
“Nolo contendere” is a Latin term that translates to “I do wish to contend.” It is a made by a defendant in a case where they neither admit nor deny guilt. The defendant essentially accepts the punishment without admitting. The effect of this plea is it is treated as a guilty plea for sentencing purposes, but it cannot be used against the defendant as an admission of guilt in any subsequent civil proceedings related to the same incident.
Grand Jury vs Trial Jury
Grand Jury: A grand jury is a group of citizens responsible for determining whether there is enough evidence to indict someone for a crime. Their role is to review the evidence presented by the prosecution and decide if there is probable cause to believe that the accused committed the crime. Grand juries are typically composed of more members than trial juries (usually between 16 to 23), and their proceedings are closed to the public.
Trial Jury: A trial jury, also known as a petit jury, is responsible for determining the guilt or innocence of a defendant during a criminal trial. They listen to the evidence presented by both sides and apply the law as instructed by the judge to reach a verdict. Trial juries are typically composed of 12 members (in most jurisdictions), and their proceedings are open to the public.
Hung Jury
A hung jury refers to a situation where the members of a trial jury cannot reach a unanimous decision on a defendant’s guilt or innocence. When this occurs, it results in a mistrial, and the case may be retried with a new jury. A hung jury can happen when jurors have irreconcilable differences in their views on the evidence or when there is insufficient evidence to convince all jurors beyond a reasonable doubt.
Indictment vs Information
Indictment: An indictment is a formal written accusation issued by a grand jury, charging an individual with committing a crime. It is based on the grand jury’s determination that there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial. Indictments are commonly used in more serious criminal cases.
Information: An information is a formal written accusation filed by a prosecutor without involving a grand jury. It charges an individual with committing a crime based on the prosecutor’s determination that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial. Informations are commonly used in less serious criminal cases or jurisdictions where grand juries are not required.
