Jury nullification activist Keith Wood is ready to take his appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court after being convicted of jury tampering for handing out pamphlets outside of a Mecosta County courthouse in Big Rapids, MI in 2015.
“You’re welcome to come support the cause for ALL Michiganders’ ability to speak freely on public sidewalks,” Wood wrote in a Facebook post.
He announced that oral arguments are scheduled to take place before the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 9:30 am in the sixth floor of the building.
Wood’s attorneys will be making the argument that his due process rights were violated by state officials when they go before the Michigan Supreme Court.
“The lower courts ignored United States Supreme Court and Michigan Supreme Court precedent and failed to address numerous significant arguments raised by Mr. Wood. If this Honorable Court agrees with the lower courts’ interpretation of the term “juror” in the jury tampering statue, then the statute is facially unconstitutional and must be stricken to avoid violation of the First Amendment and Due Process Clauses,” attorney David Kallman stated in the defendant’s brief on appeal.
“Mr. Wood respectfully requests that this Honorable Court reverse the Court of Appeals, vacate his conviction, dismiss the case with prejudice, and grant such other and further relief as is just and appropriate,” he added.
Liberty Conservative News has previously reported on Wood’s case, which has dragged on for years as the state attempts to make an example of the liberty activist:
“Keith Wood was convicted of misdemeanor jury tampering in 2017 for handing out jury nullification fliers outside of a Mecosta County courthouse. A case was underway pertaining to Andy Yoder, an Amish man accused of illegally filling in a wetland by the state of Michigan. Wood hoped to reach these individuals entering the courthouse with a message in favor of jury nullification, a well-established right of jurors to judge the morality of the law that an individual is being accused by the state of breaking during a particular case.
“He wasn’t out there with a megaphone screaming, ‘Free Mr. Yoder!’ The pamphlet talks about voting your conscience, things like that,” Wood’s attorney David Kallman said. “And it’s not like people are walking up to the courthouse with a neon sign saying, ‘I’m a juror.’”
He was even not in the courthouse while handing out these pamphlets, but was charged with obstruction of justice and jury tampering nonetheless with his bond set to $150,000. He had to charge $15,000 to his credit card just to make bail and be able to spend Thanksgiving with his family. During the case, the defense was forced by the court to omit a crucial fact to the jury that no jurors given pamphlets by Wood were under oath when he did so.
“It’s not enough to hand out a general informational brochure… I understand they don’t like it, but you know what, in our country again we can still speak freely. At least I think we can, and people can have differences of opinion,” Kallman said in defense of his client during the initial trial.
In a bizarre and telling instance of judicial corruption, after Kallman said “speak freely” the prosecutor said, “Judge!” and the judge said to Kallman, in what very well may have been a veiled threat, to “be careful.”
“I guess you better not be on public sidewalks, and better not be handing out information to anybody, because you could get prosecuted,” Kallman said after the ruling.”
Liberty Conservative News will continue to report on Wood’s case as it develops. If his case is not overturned, he could face up to one year in jail for exercising his rights.
