An Essay on the Trial by Jury

"An Essay on the Trial by Jury" by Lysander Spooner is a deep look into how juries should really work, written back in the 1800s. The whole point of the book is about how juries have the right to decide if a law is fair or not, not just if someone broke it, and that this power is super important for keeping the government from becoming too bossy, acting like a shield against unfair rule. The book kicks off with a history lesson, going all the way back to old documents to show how juries were meant to give regular people a check on what the government can do. Spooner believed that if juries don't think a law is just, they should be able to say so; that letting the government tell juries what to do is dangerous. He thought keeping juries independent was the best way to protect everyone's freedoms.