Last week, in Concord, the senate judiciary committee heard HB 133 which would require judges to read the following jury instructions, if requested by the defendant:
If you have a reasonable doubt as to whether the state has proved any one or more of the elements of the crime charged, you must find the defendant not guilty. However if you find that the state has proved all the elements of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt, you should find the defendant guilty. Even if you find that the state has proved all of the elements of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt, you may still find that based upon the facts of this case a guilty verdict will yield an unjust result, and you may find the defendant not guilty.
Jury rights advocates spoke in favor and the bureaucrats spoke against. HB 133 already passed the house 170-160. Here’s the full hearing video:
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