Current Indicator Threat Grade
No or UNKNOWN RISK
No reports. No current evidence. Click FIELD REPORT to share with us a link or your first-hand account.
ACCUSED SUFFER TRIAL in ARBITRARY DISTRICT
Government has no power to try you in any State and federal judicial district, except the one in which you are accused of committing a crime.
The Vicinage Clause has English common law precedents. The Magna Carta (1215) cites “good and lawful people of the same neighborhood where such deeds be done” as the rightful venue to administer justice.
Our Founders assumed that federal court proceedings would be contested in the closest courthouse to the location of a charged offense. By slowly rearranging federal judicial districts, the modern Federal Government has gradually shifted these courthouses to centralized locations. They are frequently hundreds of miles from the locations of the crimes alleged. Although federal courts technically remain in the constitutionally permitted district, the Founders never foresaw mega-districts sourcing jury pools of people essentially unconnected to the community of the accused.
Our Founders assumed that federal court proceedings would be contested in the closest courthouse to the location of a charged offense. By slowly rearranging federal judicial districts, the modern Federal Government has gradually shifted these courthouses to centralized locations. They are frequently hundreds of miles from the locations of the crimes alleged. Although federal courts technically remain in the constitutionally permitted district, the Founders never foresaw mega-districts sourcing jury pools of people essentially unconnected to the community of the accused.
When any natural right becomes essentially unrecognized or unenforced, all are under threat. Watch for a push to further ignore the Vicinage Clause and consolidate courts, especially in times of emergency.
Credit
Our Founding Generation
Primary References
-
None
