Jury Instructions
|
Attorneys often must submit proposed jury instructions to the court for approval before trial. Sources for jury instructions include:
- Pattern jury instructions written by the court or a state judicial conference. Sometimes courts put these on their web site.
- Jury instructions written or gathered by publishers, sometimes taken from case opinions.
- Jury instructions actually filed with the court. Lexis and Westlaw have databases of these filings. They can also be found via court dockets. Another source is attorney document sharing sites
- Appellate court opinions sometimes quote a jury instruction, and rule upon whether it is proper or not.
Path on Lexis and Westlaw LexisNexis:
Lexis:
Legal > Area of Law - by Topic > Litigation Practice & Procedure > Find Jury Instructions.
OR
Total
Litigator Tab - under Early Case Assessment, Research or Trial Prep. Template to select by practice area or jurisdiction.
OR
Jury Instruction Filings on Lexis: Legal > Court Records, Briefs and Filings> Jury Instructions
Westlaw:
Directory Location > All Databases > Litigation > Jury Instructions
Library Call Number for Jury Instructions
Many jury instructions can be found at call number KF8984.
Federal
Major Sets:
Modern Federal Jury Instructions, Leonard B. Sand, et al., KF8984 .A65 M6; Lexis: Modern Federal Jury Instructions, Civil ; Modern Federal Jury Instructions, Criminal
Federal Jury Practice and Instructions, Kevin F. O'Malley, et al., Westlaw, (6th edition) KF8984 .D4
Others:
Federal Criminal Jury Instructions, Potuto, et al, KF9682.A65 F42
Pattern Jury Instructions by Circuit:
|
|
Note that not all circuits have pattern jury instructions, and not all have both civil and criminal.
Pattern Jury Instructions by Circuit ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE -
- See Pattern Jury Instructions page posted by the Fifth Circuit Library.
- Lexis -Find a Source, search for "Federal Pattern Jury Instructions", OR Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. >FInd Jury Instructions
- Westlaw- Contained in Federal Jury Practice and Instructions, Kevin F. O'Malley, et al., Westlaw -
FED-JI
Jury Instruction Filings:
Westlaw: Directory Location > All Databases > Litigation > Jury Instructions>Jury Instruction Filings. Actual jury instructions submitted and filed with the state and federal trial courts
Lexis -All Federal Jury Instruction Filings, Combined, FDJYIF
Ohio
Standard Ohio Jury Instructions, written by the Ohio Judicial Conference.
- LexisNexis: Legal > States Legal U.S. > Ohio > Find Jury Instructions (OHJINS)
- Westlaw: Directory Location > All Databases > U.S. State Materials > Ohio > Jury Instructions, Jury Verdicts & Judgments (OH-JI)
- Ohio Jury Instructions KFO542 .A65 O36
- Casemaker - from the Ohio State Bar Association. [Available on the public access workstations across from the information services desk. Otherwise, password only. Students may join the OSBA for free and get access.]
OSBA Jury Instructions
- Casemaker - OSBA Jury Instructions are compiled from case law by the OSBA to fill in gaps in the standard instructions.
Jury Instruction Filings
Westlaw: Directory Location > All Databases > Litigation > Jury Instructions>Jury Instruction Filings - Civil - OH-JIF-CIV; Criminal - OH-CRJIF-ALL . Actual jury instructions submitted and filed with the state and federal trial courts in Ohio
Lexis : Ohio State Jury Instruction Filings OHJYIF. Actual jury instructions submitted and filed with the state courts in Ohio
Other States
LexisNexis:
Legal > Area of Law - by Topic > Litigation Practice & Procedure > Find Jury Instructions>By State
OR
Total
Litigator Tab - under Early Case Assessment, Research or Trial Prep. Template to select by practice area or jurisdiction.
OR
Jury Instruction Filings on Lexis:
Legal > Court Records, Briefs and Filings> Jury Instructions
Westlaw:
Directory Location > All Databases > Litigation > Jury Instructions>Pattern Jury Instructions OR Jury Instruction Filings
Free Internet websites - Reference from Coast to Coast: Jury Instructions Update
General
Look in the Index volumes under "Instructions to Jury", and then the specific topic, for:
- American Jurisprudence Pleading and Practice Forms,KF8836 .A45, Westlaw > AMJUR-PP
- American Jurisprudence Proof of Facts, KF 8933.A43; Westlaw > AMJUR-POF
- American Jurisprudence Trials KF 8915 .A74 ; Westlaw > AMJUR-TRIALS
- Causes of Action (West Group) First Series -Reference KF8863 .S53; Second Series- Reference KF8863.S532, Westlaw>COA (Not too jury instructions many in this set)
Specific Topics
Jury Instructions on Damages in Tort Actions, Ronald W. Eades, (5th edition), Lexis, KF8984 .E34
Jury instructions on Medical Issues / Ronald W. Eades , 6th ed.,(on Lexis, but not in the law school's plan), KF8984.A65 E22 2004
Model Jury Instructions from the ABA:
- Business Torts Litigation KF8984.A65 M64 2005
- Copyright, Trademark, and Trade Dress Litigation KF8984 .M63 2008
- Construction Litigation KF8984.A65 C66 2001
- Model Jury Instructions in Criminal Antitrust Cases, KF9066.A5 M634 2009
- Employment Litigation KF8984.A65 E57 2005
- Model Jury Instructions for Fidelity Cases KF1223 .M63 2003
- Patent Litigation F3155 .M63 2005
LexisNexis:
Legal > Area of Law - by Topic > Litigation Practice & Procedure > Find Jury Instructions - lists topics.
OR
Total
Litigator Tab - under Early Case Assessment, Research or Trial Prep. Template to select by practice area or jurisdiction.
How to Write Jury Instructions
Legal writing and other lawyering skills / by Nancy L. Schultz, Louis J. Sirico, Jr 4th ed Newark, NJ : LexisNexis, 2004 KF250 .S38 2004 (Jury Instructions & Verdicts, Motions, Pleadings, Settlement Agreements)
Beyond the basics : a text for advanced legal writing / by Mary Barnard Ray and Barbara J. Cox St. Paul, 2nd ed., MN : Thomson/West, KF250 .R38 2003 c2003 (Jury Instructions & Verdicts, Motions, Pleadings)