by JJ Epic | May 24, 2013 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FACING 81 YEARS, RICH PAUL PLANNING TO APPEAL CONVICTIONS TO NH SUPREME COURT
Rich Paul, political activist and founder of the 420 Foundation, is seeking help to appeal the guilty verdict he received recently at Cheshire Superior Court in Keene, NH. Rich was on trial for selling marijuana to an undercover Drug Task Force informant. The drug sting was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and culminated with Rich Paul being asked to “cooperate” with the FBI in order to ensnare more local activists by wearing a wire into the Keene Activist Center.
The appeal will center around the recent New Hampshire State Law, HB 146, which affirms the legality of a jury to judge not just the case but the law itself. This ancient power of juries, called Jury Nullification, predates modern court systems as a part of common law. Judge John C. Kissinger refused to read jury instructions that included the jury nullification component. Mr. Paul has admitted to selling the marijuana and pursued a jury nullification defense only to be stymied by the Judge just before deliberations.
Should Mr. Paul succeed in his appeal it will help create a binding precedent allowing for all future jury instructions to include the jury nullification component. He hopes this will counteract the over-arching power that the State has in the courtroom and bring a more common-sense approach to trials. Mr. Paul has created no victims and should not be faced with 81 years in jail for selling a plant. He hopes to serve as an example for others ensnared by such tactics who also have acted peacefully and created no victims.
Justice is not cheap in America so a fundraiser has started to help hire a lawyer for the appeal. It is being coordinated online through a GoFund Me page and a facebook event. The tentative end date for the fundraiser is the day Mr. Paul will be sentenced, June 8th, 2013, allowing the lawyer hired to have a full month to prepare the appeal. Rich has taken up a tremendous challenge by fighting these charges through the court system rather than taking a plea deal. He is seeking the support of liberty lovers, believers in Jury Nullification, and opponents of prohibition. Contact his press agent James at (603) 209-9283 or jjschless@gmail.com for additional information. Please consider sharing this story and donating to the fundraiser.
Court of Record: Cheshire Superior Court, Keene, NH
Case Number: 12-cr-131
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This press release was emailed to 657 reporters and news agencies on 5/24/2013 at 6:05pm – JJ
by Ian | May 23, 2013 |
As you probably know, Keene’s heroic Robin Hooders have been sued by the “City of Keene” people and accused of harassing the meter maids. The Cheshire “Superior” Court sent notice of court date of June 10th at 9am. Here is a facebook event for the court date.
Please come out and support Keene’s Robin Hooders. You will also see the event on the Free Keene Calendar.
by Ian | May 23, 2013 |
Please come support Rich Paul as he faces up to 81 years in prison for selling cannabis. You can join him on June 7th at 1:30pm at Cheshire “Superior” Court in Keene. Here’s a facebook event.
Also, please give to Rich’s appeal fundraiser. Details are here.
by Ian | May 23, 2013 |
The Concord Patch has the story about the weak medical cannabis bill that has passed the NH Senate. The bill is very restrictive and in no way, “live free or die”. But, I guess it’s a baby step in the right direction. Ugh, politics sucks.
Medical marijuana is a step closer to reality for people suffering from serious diseases and health problems in New Hampshire. The state Senate voted 18-6 on Thursday to pass a medical marijuana bill.
The bill is an amended version of the House-passed bill. If the House doesn’t concur with the changes, leadership in each chamber will pick members to sit on a committee of conference to iron out differences in the legislation. (more…)
by Garret Ean | May 23, 2013 |
Yesterday morning, I sat down with city attorney (or court jester to use the royal parlance) Thomas Mullins, who was responsible for signing the paperwork filing suit against the Merry (wo)Men allegedly associated with Robin Hood of Keene. I was trying to find out why I was named in a ‘harassment’ lawsuit along with five others. I came only to represent myself and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the city’s position is that the purpose of Robin Hood of Keene is to engage parking enforcement officers in psychological warfare. Mullins used the phrase “emotional violence” to describe Robin Hooding. “You want them to quit. Everybody wants them to quit,” Mullins asserted. “From our perspective, you’re trying to force the termination of these individuals by getting them to quit.”
It seems that city bureaucrats have some gross misconceptions about the goals of Robin Hood of Keene. Over the course of the meeting, there was no specific instance cited in which I had done anything to wrong parking enforcers. For this reason, I offered to agree continuing not to commit any crimes against parking enforcement and suggested others would likely do the same to bring about a mutually beneficial conclusion to the lawsuit. The city’s attorney wasn’t ready to put forward an agreement yet, but suggested that there will be discussion of such. Below is a transcript of the meeting constructed from memory and extensive written notes, as Mullins had refused to engage in dialogue if an objective record was to have been made. (more…)
by James Cleaveland | May 22, 2013 |
Recently I appeared on Fox News talking about Robin Hooding.
Here is the clip: Fox News Robin Hood
by Wendy French | May 22, 2013 |
This letter arrived from Rich Paul today, and as much as it breaks my heart to read it and type it for him, it breaks him free to have a voice from the cage. Rich has been incarcerated since April 18th, 2013 waiting for sentencing on Friday June 7th, 2013.
“After my late girlfriend, Julie, died of cancer in 2002, I slipped into a deep depression. It worsened when the startup company I had spent 5 years building failed. By 2008, it had ended my career. I was no longer able to focus on my work; for a computer programmer like me, being unable to focus meant being unable to work. I also lost my ability to socialize. I had not dated since Julie’s death, and having moved, failed to make new friends. I wanted to die, but could not commit suicide, knowing how it would hurt my family. (more…)
