It's obvious that you have far more confidence in the jury system than I do. Good for you, though. I'm idealistic about some things, but citizens nullifying the law? Unfortunately I don't place so much confidence in my fellow man--even though I do believe he can be trusted with liberty.
We have so many people locked up in this country, though, that it's completely out of control. I wonder if we'll ever learn?
It's not confidence, it's belief in principle. Why is a juror a poorer judge of the law than a judge? I would think a judge, having a more abstract view of the law, would be a poorer judge than a juror who looks at a particular case and sees it through the eyes of a common man.
Going back to one of my favorite examples, that you can be guilty of manufacturing an "Any other weapon," if you happen to sell a rifle, keep its vertical grip, and you also happen to have a pistol with an accessory rail. A judge might see a technical violation of the law, but a juror is more likely to say, "I don't care what the law said, clearly nobody manufactured anything."
Also, by nullifying a law, the worse thing that happens is a guilty person goes free. Without nullification, there can be a far worse consequence: A many loses his life, liberty and property for an unjust law.
I trust my fellow man more than I do the legislators who make the law.