Sri Srinivasan Quotes
If we lived in a world where we had the rule of a judge, rather than the rule of law, you would have seen an absolute sea change, an avulsive change in the law as it was interpreted, applied and rendered by our court.
Srinivasan, Sri. Panel Remarks. Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., 2016.
Many of our Founding Fathers held the view that the Jurors should decide not only about the facts but also they have the final decision on the law. The concept of the jury not following the judge’s interpretation and instructions as to the law is called Jury Nullification of which many of the founders approved. In modern times however, most states require the jury to accept the judge’s instructions as to the law, and the Jury’s only role is to decide on the facts. Maryland is the only state left which allows the jury to make the final decision on the law as well as the facts. However, many jurors will silently nullify the Judges instructions and vote accordingly as jurors need not explain their reasoning in most jurisdictions. See {641742}, {590841}, {591140} & {591139} for similar views by other Founding Fathers.
Padmanabhan Srikanth "Sri" Srinivasan is an American jurist and attorney serving as the Chief United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The United States Senate confirmed Srinivasan by a vote of 97–0 on May 23, 2013. Before his confirmation, Srinivasan served as Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States and has argued 25 cases before the United States Supreme Court. He has also lectured at Harvard Law School.