The Street Prayer That Changed Legal History Forever

Jul 15, 2026 | Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury, Truck accidents

In 1670, a young Quaker named William Penn, who would later found Pennsylvania, was arrested for a simple act. Preaching and praying in the middle of Gracechurch Street in London. Under the law at the time, religious gatherings outside the state church were strictly illegal.

The facts were clear. He did it. The judge expected an open and shut conviction. But the jury looked at the law, looked at the peaceful act of praying, and decided the law itself was deeply unjust. They refused to find him guilty of an “unlawful” assembly.

Furious that the jury wouldn’t do his bidding, the judge snapped. He shouted at the jurors, “You shall not be dismissed until we have a verdict that the court will accept!” He then ordered the jury to be locked away in a tower overnight with absolutely no food, no water, no heat, and no tobacco. When they woke up starving and freezing the next morning, they still refused to break. They returned a verdict of Not Guilty.

The judge was so enraged that he did something unthinkable today: he fined the jurors for delivering the “wrong” verdict and threw them in prison until they paid up.

The fallout from William Penn’s arrest became known to history as Bushel’s Case, named after Edward Bushel, the courageous jury foreman who refused to pay the judge’s illegal fine. Bushel demanded a Habeas Corpus hearing, taking his fight all the way to the highest court in England.

The Chief Justice ruled in Bushel’s favor, establishing a monumental legal precedent: A judge cannot punish, threaten, or coerce a jury to change its verdict. A judge can explain the law, but they cannot “lead the jury by the nose.”

While this started as a criminal case about religious freedom, it fundamentally shaped the civil court system we use for personal injury cases today. Here is why Bushel’s Case matters for your injury claim right now:

1. It Protects “Jury Equity” (The Human Element)

Insurance defense attorneys love to look strictly at cold, hard data and rigid rules to deny claims. But because of Bushel’s Case, juries have the absolute right to look at the human element of a case. If a corporation acts recklessly, a jury can bring its collective conscience to the courtroom and hold them accountable, regardless of how a corporate lawyer tries to spin the wording of a contract or policy.

2. Judges Are Neutrals, Not Dictators

In an injury trial, the judge is the referee, not the player. They ensure the rules of evidence are followed, but they are strictly forbidden from persuading or intimidating the jury into leaning toward one side. The final decision on what your pain, suffering, and medical bills are worth belongs entirely to twelve members of your community.

3. A Shield Against Powerful Entities

Whether it was the King of England in 1670 or a multi-billion-dollar insurance company today, power structures have always tried to dictate court outcomes. The independence of the jury acts as a vital shield. It ensures that an ordinary citizen standing up to a massive corporate giant gets a fair, independent evaluation of their case.

Standing Up For Your Rights

Every time our legal team walks into a courtroom, we rely on the foundational rights established by Edward Bushel and those stubborn jurors who chose to starve rather than compromise on justice.