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This paragraph argues that the jury system in the United Kingdom serves as a crucial safeguard against the overreach of state power, ensuring that citizens have a direct role in the administration of justice. The jury system, deeply rooted in English legal tradition, embodies the principle of trial by one’s peers, offering a layer of protection against potential governmental abuse. A seminal case underscoring this point is *R v Ponting* [1985] Crim LR 318, where a civil servant was acquitted by a jury despite having breached the Official Secrets Act, illustrating the jury’s role in applying not just the letter, but the spirit of the law, potentially acting as a check on governmental power. Furthermore, Alexander Hamilton, in *The Federalist No. 83*, emphasized the jury system as a bulwark of liberty and an essential means of preventing oppression by the government. The importance of the jury system in protecting against state power is also highlighted in the Human Rights Act 1998, which underlines the right to a fair trial, implicitly supporting the role of juries in ensuring judicial decisions are made with the consensus of the populace, rather than solely by the state’s apparatus. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis by Thomas (2010) in his book “Are Juries Fair?” provides empirical support to the argument that juries are capable of making decisions free of bias, further contributing to their role in safeguarding against state tyranny. However, it is important to acknowledge a limitation in this argument: the jury system’s reliance on the understanding and interpretation of complex legal principles by laypersons, which can sometimes lead to inconsistencies or errors in judgment. Despite this, the jury system’s fundamental role in protecting against the undue concentration of state power and ensuring that justice is administered in a manner that reflects the values and judgments of the community rather than the state alone has been successfully argued. **Sources:** 1. *R v Ponting* [1985] Crim LR 318. 2. Hamilton, Alexander. *The Federalist No. 83*. 3. Human Rights Act 1998. 4. Thomas, Cheryl. *Are Juries Fair?* Ministry of Justice Research Series 1/10, February 2010.