Paul Butler, Racially-Based Jury Nullification Summary

In 1995, professor and prosecutor Paul Butler made a proactive proposal in the Yale Law Journal. Just months after O.J Simpson was acquitted of a double murder, Butler, an African-American, proposed that African-American jurors across the country should engage in the practice of jury nullification. The article is titled “Paul Butler, Racially-Based Jury Nullification: Black Power in the Criminal Justice System, 105 Yale L.J. 677 (1995)”. In this article, I will use an expository and persuasive approach to summarize Butler's approach towards nullification. I further argue that Butler's argument is a valid tool to use when working to change the treatment of discrimination in the criminal justice system. I will also provide strong arguments discussing the problematic issues of returning offenders back into the community. Paul Butler, an African-American raised in Chicago proposed that African-American jurors across the country should engage in the practice of jury nullification. At the age of 18, he left the village, proud with the people around him and his family. His journey began throughout his education when he attended college and subsequently law school. He practiced law
If they don’t use jury nullification, then what? Butler believes these questions are important for a matter of reasons. This is important because it is a tool created to change disparate treatment and a massive impact towards discrimination in the criminal justice system while exploring the problematic issue of returning offenders to the community. Butler hopes that his proposal will become change existing conditions and importantly to fight for real justice. Butler further wants to encourage African-American to use the power they have responsibly to address this message. Making sure we don't ignore the truth but face it and fight it to better the community around