What to Know
What to know before you serve, your rights explained plainly.
ExploreAbout the Campaign
Your Verdict Counts
A nonpartisan civic education campaign by the Cato Institute, empowering jurors in Richmond, Virginia and elsewhere to understand their constitutional rights and power.
Empowerment, Not a Loophole
“It is not only his right but his Duty to find the Verdict according to his own best Understanding, Judgment and Conscience, tho in Direct opposition to the Direction of the Court.”
— John Adams, 1771
Jury independence is not a loophole or a modern invention. It’s the original design of the jury system. The Founders didn’t create juries to rubber-stamp prosecutions. They created juries to exercise judgment, including the judgment that a law is being applied unjustly in a particular case.
Learn Your RightsThe Constitution Working as Intended
Some people ask: “Is this jury nullification?” We don’t use that term because it implies jurors are canceling or overriding the law. What we’re describing is more fundamental. It’s the original design of the jury system.
The Founders deliberately built jury independence into the Constitution because they understood that juries serve as a check on government power. By helping people understand their rights, we’re strengthening the Constitution and the rule of law.
What Jurors Can DoEmpowerment, Not a Loophole
“It is not only his right but his Duty to find the Verdict according to his own best Understanding, Judgment and Conscience, tho in Direct opposition to the Direction of the Court.”
— John Adams, 1771
Jury independence is not a loophole or a modern invention. It’s the original design of the jury system. The Founders didn’t create juries to rubber-stamp prosecutions. They created juries to exercise judgment, including the judgment that a law is being applied unjustly in a particular case.
Learn Your RightsThe Constitution Working as Intended
Some people ask: “Is this jury nullification?” We don’t use that term because it implies jurors are canceling or overriding the law. What we’re describing is more fundamental. It’s the original design of the jury system.
The Founders deliberately built jury independence into the Constitution because they understood that juries serve as a check on government power. By helping people understand their rights, we’re strengthening the Constitution and the rule of law.
What Jurors Can DoOur Approach
Your Verdict Counts is a Cato Institute campaign that combines constitutional scholarship with storytelling to make jury rights accessible to everyday citizens. The project is anchored by a 15-minute documentary film that brings together real jurors, legal scholars, and constitutional history to show what the jury system was designed to do, and what happens when jurors understand their role in it.
Beyond the film, the campaign produces plain-language educational materials, from wallet cards to community guides, that translate centuries of legal precedent into something a first-time juror can read the night before serving. No jargon, no ideology, just the rights the Constitution already grants.
On the ground in Richmond, we partner with community organizations, defense attorneys, civic groups, and local leaders who share an interest in constitutional justice. These partnerships help the campaign reach people where they are: in churches, libraries, barbershops, and community centers.
This is not a left-wing or right-wing issue. Jury independence is a constitutional safeguard that protects everyone, and the Founders, Supreme Court justices, and legal scholars across the political spectrum have said so. We educate. We don’t advocate for any political outcome.
Why Richmond?
01
A Jury Pool That Reflects the Community
Richmond draws jurors from a cross-section of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences, exactly the kind of diverse pool the Constitution envisions.
02
A State Open to Reform
Virginia has been at the forefront of criminal justice reform in recent years, creating an audience already thinking critically about how the system works.
03
Allies
We work alongside community organizations, legal professionals, and civic groups in Richmond who are already invested in constitutional justice.
04
A Provable Model
Richmond is large enough to matter and small enough to measure. What works here can inform campaigns in other cities across the country.
Explore the Campaign
Dive deeper into the stories, rights, and power that define jury service.
Get Involved
Have questions about the campaign or want to partner with us? We’re building a movement for jury rights and constitutional justice in Richmond and beyond.
Contact Us