What Does the Chicago George Ryan Trial Have in Common with McHenry County Seatbelt Enforcement?

The answer is jury nullification.

Former Governor George Ryan’s top-flight attorneys and pro se litigant Ken Prazak, Libertarian from East Dundee, both wanted to use the concept in their trials.

Ryan was denied the opportunity. Prazak was not.

The Ryan strategy was to convince the jury that, even if its members thought that Ryan was guilty of one or more of the charges, he should be found not guilty because of the good deeds that he had performed. Presumably, his role in commuting prisoners’ death sentences should be enough to mitigate any misdeeds that the jury perceives. This proposed quid pro quo was not explicitly stated by Ryan’s attorneys, but the U.S. Attorney’s legal reply was replete with citations of why jury nullification was not an appropriate defense.

For more on jury nullification, click here.

Other stories that might be of interest on McHenry County Blog: Lisa Madigan fights official corruption, more on HIV public policy, evidence that pharmacists oppose the Blagojevich "morning after" policy, a dirty trick on Rauschenberger, the other 1/3 of the Ryan lobbying fees, school crooks and empty precincts in McHenry County.