Jury instructions

Jury instructions are a judge’s directions explaining the legal rules jurors must apply when deciding a case. They define the issues, elements of claims or offenses, and standards for reaching a verdict.

Jury charge: A judge’s formal statement of the law to a jury before it reaches a verdict. This is the traditional name for the body of instructions delivered to jurors.
Jury: A group of people selected to decide facts or reach a verdict in a legal proceeding. Jurors are the audience expected to apply the judge’s directions.
Model jury instructions: Standardized proposed jury instructions published for use in a jurisdiction or area of law. Courts and lawyers often adapt these templates to the case at hand.
Bench trial: A trial in which a judge, rather than a jury, decides the facts and applies the law. Without jurors, the judge generally needs no separate directions to a jury.
Burden of proof: The obligation to establish a claim or allegation to a specified level of certainty. Instructions tell jurors which party bears this obligation and how demanding it is.
Judge: A public official who presides over legal proceedings and makes judicial decisions. The judge determines and delivers the governing instructions.
Jury instruction conference: A pre-deliberation proceeding where the judge and lawyers resolve proposed jury instructions. This conference is where parties propose, revise, and object to the wording.
Jury instructions in the United States: Judicial directions governing how jurors apply law in United States courts. Their wording and review rules vary across federal and state jurisdictions.
Elements of a crime: The facts the prosecution must prove to establish a particular criminal offense. Criminal instructions break the charged offense into elements jurors assess separately.
Evidence: Information presented in a legal proceeding to establish or challenge facts. Instructions distinguish the legal rules from the evidence jurors evaluate.

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