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Lara Logan @laralogan - The constitution grants every American citizen the right to redress of their grievances against the govt. Failure to uphold this right is a violation of the law.
Quote
Ann Vandersteel™ @annvandersteel
THE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THEIR RIGHTS BACK
The Constitution did not give prosecutors control over justice.
It gave that power to the People through the grand jury.
This week, a federal court is considering whether to dismiss a citizen petition that asks for one simple thing.
That the U.S. Attorney comply with federal law and inform a grand jury when citizens present evidence of alleged crimes.
Federal law is clear.
18 U.S.C. § 3332 states that when a citizen requests it, the U.S. Attorney shall inform the grand jury.
Shall does not mean may.
Yet across the country, citizens are being told they have no access to grand juries at all.
To understand how this happened, you have to look at 1946.
Before 1946, citizens could bring evidence directly to a grand jury. The grand jury functioned as an independent body, accountable to the People, not controlled by prosecutors or judges.
In 1946, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure were adopted. For the first time, prosecutors were inserted as compulsory gatekeepers between the People and the grand jury. Citizens were effectively barred from direct access, even though the Constitution itself was never amended.
That single procedural change shifted the balance of power away from the People and into the hands of the Executive Branch.