The New York Times > National > Colorado Court Bars Execution Because Jurors Consulted Bible

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. A jury's verdict is thrown out because one of the jurors used the bible to justify his verdict. It seems to me that the purpose of a jury is to have the community, represented by 12 people drawn almost at random, make the judgment on whether a man is guilty or not and, sometimes, what his sentence should be. The key word here is community, jurries are supposed to represent all of us - and whatever we use as our Moral compass. Well, some folks use the Bible as their moral compass. Others use the Koran, the Talmud, or some other text, it really doesn't matter. All that matters is that 12 people do the best they can to pass judgment on a fellow human being, and if "the best they can" means consulting a "higher authority," well, I think that's okay too.