Left-Wing Activist Group Teaches Liberals How To Get Through Jury Selection and Vote 'Not Guilty' on Trump DOJ Prosecutions, Recordings Show

A left-wing activist group is teaching liberals in Washington, D.C., and "across the United States" how to increase their chances of serving as jurors on cases brought by the Trump Department of Justice so they can undermine its chances of securing convictions, training materials reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.

Freedom Trainers, whose fiscal sponsor is the George Soros-funded group Community Change, is working to make "jury nullification"—the practice of voting against a conviction even if the defendant broke the law—a go-to legal weapon for the Left. Its sessions and training materials, reviewed by the Free Beacon, show how the group teaches "committed people" to gum up federal prosecutions.

The group tells attendees to keep their addresses current to ensure they receive summons. Then, during the jury selection process, it advises them to "Never mention jury nullification," "Don't signal an agenda," and "say you'll listen to the evidence before forming conclusions." Once selected, the group tells its trainees to vote "not guilty" for any reason.

Freedom Trainers' efforts—which have not been previously reported—underscore the difficulty the Trump administration faces in securing convictions in the nation's capital and other blue bastions.

"While we respect jurors' role in the judicial process, the Department takes jury nullification and interference with official proceedings extremely seriously," a Department of Justice spokeswoman said in a statement to the Free Beacon. "Any group attempting to improperly influence juries who should serve as impartial arbiters of evidence should be held accountable."

Neither Freedom Trainers nor Community Change responded to requests for comment.

Freedom Trainers describes itself as a "loose network of trainers teaching collective noncooperation." It was established in late 2024 as its leaders pondered a second Trump administration. "Before Donald Trump's election, an informal group of trainers—many with experience working under authoritarian regimes—began asking a sobering question: what would people need if he won?" its website states.

That question prompted Daniel Hunter, the founder of D.C.-based liberal activist group Choose Democracy, and Keya Chatterjee, the executive director of Free DC and former executive director of the US Climate Action Network, to form Freedom Trainers. The group's members include a hodgepodge of left-wing activists. Author and Council on Foreign Relations member Maria J. Stephan, who recently appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, is listed as one of the group's trainers. Though Hunter and Chatterjee are known for their activism in D.C., Freedom Trainers says it "has trained hundreds of thousands of committed people across the United States."

During one recent webinar, Hunter raised the viral example of a man shown on video assaulting a federal agent with a sandwich. He argued that there are "a lot of possible reasons" those serving on a grand jury in the case could vote against an indictment. Jurors could say that the law the man broke is itself not just or constitutional. They could argue that the agent was not harmed. Or they could say that they were generally unconvinced by prosecutors' arguments.

A pamphlet produced by the group makes the point more clearly: Attendees, it says, can vote not guilty for "any reason you believe is just." The pamphlet emphasizes that jurors can vote against conviction "even if the technical elements of the crime were technically met. No explanation required. No punishment allowed. Totally legal." A grand jury rejected felony charges for the man referenced in Hunter's example.

Freedom Trainers encourages activists and trainees to pass out copies of the pamphlet at courthouses on Monday mornings "before people are placed on juries."

The webinar hosted by Hunter is one of many such trainings the group has held in recent weeks as it seeks to popularize the use of "jury nullification" as a tactic among left-wing activists.

"We have a legal remedy to correct when the court system, when the Department of Justice, has gone astray and awry," Hunter said during the webinar. "That is your right as a juror to stand up for what you believe to be right, to use your analysis, your conscience, your morals."

"That is one way that we, as regular folks, can insert ourselves into the criminal legal system and create some justice through some noncooperation," another Freedom Trainers official, "Marla," said during a more recent webinar. She went on to lament that she was once kicked off a jury after a prosecutor "had figured out I was an activist."

The trainings walk activists through how they can increase their odds of both receiving a jury summons and being selected for the jury.

The group emphasizes, for example, that activists should dress neutrally, give brief answers, and say they will listen to the evidence before forming conclusions during jury selection. They should also never mention jury nullification before or during selection.

"You can legally nullify once on a jury, but if you say that's your plan, you'll likely be removed before the trial begins," Freedom Trainers states on a training slide deck. "You always have the option of finding the defendant 'Not Guilty.' Even if you believe the law was broken. Even if the judge says you must convict," the slide deck adds.

The group appears aware of the legal risks that come with its efforts. All trainings begin with a disclaimer that the following will include no legal advice and that if an audience member is actively serving on a jury, they should log off. "We don't want to mess with any ongoing trials," Marla told participants.

But the webinars emphasize that, if done properly, jury nullification remains legal. According to Freedom Trainers, educating others on jury nullification, handing out flyers near courthouses, and voting "not guilty" for any reason are all legal actions. Stating you intend to nullify before the trial and discussing nullification with other jurors are legal but more "risky" tactics, the group adds.

Freedom Trainers implores activists not to target other jurors, lie, disclose jury deliberations, claim publicly that they nullified following a trial, or coordinate with a defendant.

"Keep advocacy general," the group states. "Say nothing, or consult an attorney first," it adds about making public comments.

Carrie Severino, the president of the right-leaning Judicial Crisis Network, said the jury nullification effort raises significant legal questions and could threaten Americans' confidence in the justice system.

"Dark-money networks are intent on attacking the judicial system at every level, with their latest scheme to sway juries and encourage citizens to nullify the law. It wasn't enough for Soros and dark-money groups to back far-left prosecutors who released criminals and led to rising crime or to push judges who ignore the rule of law," Severino told the Free Beacon.

"These latest attempts challenge the constitutional right to an impartial jury and, even worse, encourage citizens to bypass laws passed by our elected representatives. This is just one more aspect of the legal system these extreme groups are trying to infiltrate."

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