The Not-So-Grand Jury
August, 1975
Historically, the purpose of the grand jury has been to protect people against the abuse of government power. The American founding fathers got i9the idea from the British and inserted it into the Bill of Rights: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury." The idea, simply enough, was to interpose a shield between the individual and the state to show that its desire to prosecute somebody is based on...
