This episode of John Nesbitt's THE PASSING PARADE tells the story of the Crown vs. John Peter Zenger case and how it was the basis of the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. It also established the rights of jury nullification, the right of a jury to nullify a law by finding a defendant not guilty of a crime he committed, which that jury holds to be based on an unjust law. It's an odd precedent, and judges and lawyers in court are barred from mentioning it; yet it is there in every criminal case.
THE PASSING PARADE was based on Nesbitt's radio work, in which he narrated a story, this, like most of the other entries in the series, was shot wild, without a soundtrack. Nesbitt's narration added later. Thus the series retreated to silent film techniques, in which a story had to be told visually.
THE PASSING PARADE was based on Nesbitt's radio work, in which he narrated a story, this, like most of the other entries in the series, was shot wild, without a soundtrack. Nesbitt's narration added later. Thus the series retreated to silent film techniques, in which a story had to be told visually.
