Laura Kriho was a juror in a 1996 case of methamphetamine possession in Gilpin County, Colorado where she voted in favor of jury nullification (acquittal). Kriho was found in contempt of court and fined $1,200 but not jailed, after she was the lone holdout for acquittal in an 11-1 vote. The judge held that, even though she was not asked her views on the enforcement of drug laws, she obstructed justice by not volunteering them during jury selection. Kriho had not disclosed that eleven years earlier she had pleaded guilty to possessing LSD and that she is a member of a group supporting the legalization of marijuana.
Kriho's conviction was the start of a long legal battle. In 1999, the conviction was overturned on appeal because the trial judge relied on statements from jury deliberation in the process of finding her guilty. On August 4, 2000 all charges against Kriho were dismissed, ending the case. However, while Kriho's conviction itself was overturned, the reasoning behind the reversal leaves open the possibility that other jurors may be similarly prosecuted in the future.
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