6.1 Duties of Jury to Find Facts and Follow Law

            Members of the jury, now that you have heard all the evidence, it is my duty to instruct you on the law that applies to this case.  A copy of these instructions will be available in the jury room for you to consult.

            It is your duty to weigh and to evaluate all the evidence received in the case and, in that process, to decide the facts.  It is also your duty to apply the law as I give it to you to the facts as you find them, whether you agree with the law or not.  You must decide the case solely on the evidence and the law.  You will recall that you took an oath promising to do so at the beginning of the case.  You should also not be influenced by any person’s race, color, religious beliefs, national ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, or economic circumstances.  Also, do not allow yourself to be influenced by personal likes or dislikes, sympathy, prejudice, fear, public opinion, or biases[.] [, including unconscious biases.  Unconscious biases are stereotypes, attitudes, or preferences that people may consciously reject but may be expressed without conscious awareness, control, or intention.] 

            You must follow all these instructions and not single out some and ignore others; they are all important.  Please do not read into these instructions or into anything I may have said or done as any suggestion as to what verdict you should return—that is a matter entirely up to you.

Comment

           See JURY INSTRUCTIONS COMMITTEE OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT, A MANUAL ON JURY TRIAL PROCEDURES § 4.5 (2013).

The Supreme Court emphasized the importance of jury instructions as a bulwark against bias in Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, 137 S. Ct. 855, 871 (2017).  Accordingly, the Committee has incorporated stronger language, regarding the jury’s duty to act fairly and impartially, into this instruction, Instruction 1.1 (Duty of Jury), and Instruction 6.19 (Duty to Deliberate).

Revised March 2024