Model Jury Instructions - Jury Management State Links

Alaska Civil Pattern Jury Instructions and Alaska Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions are available on the Alaska Court System Web site. These instructions have not been approved or promulgated by any court or the Alaska Bar Association.

Arizona

The following portion of the Revised Arizona Jury Instructions (RAJI (Criminal) 3rd) have been prepared by the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee of the State Bar of Arizona. The notes to each instruction explain the basis for the instruction and the authorities relied upon in drafting the instruction.

Arkansas

These Arkansas Instructions are preliminary drafts and are not entitled to the presumption of validity created for published instructions by the per curiam order of the Supreme Court of Arkansas dated April 19, 1965, effective February 1, 1966.

California

The Judicial Council of California has adopted plain language civil and criminal jury instructions that accurately convey the law using language that is understandable to jurors.

Colorado

The following link is a draft of proposed Criminal Jury Instructions prepared by the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee of the Colorado Supreme Court.

Connecticut

The following civil and criminal jury instructions are official but their use by the judiciary in Connecticut is discretionary.

Delaware

This link is to the “ The 2000 edition of the Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Practice in Superior Court” .

Florida

The Florida Supreme Court has issued the “Standard Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases”.

Idaho

The Supreme Court of Idaho appointed a committee to draft a set of civil jury instructions. The Supreme Court also appointed members to the Death Penalty Criminal Jury Instructions Committee, and charged the Committee with drafting a set of civil jury instructions for death penalty cases.

Illinois

The state of Illinois is in the process of developing a set of civil jury instructions and has set up a listserv for interested parties to receive information.

Massachusetts

The Masschussetts court system released their 2009 edition of the District Court's Criminal Model Jury Instructions. It includes a general charge and crime specific instructions.

Michigan

The Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions has adopted a set of pattern instructions for the state of Michigan.

Missouri

The Supreme Court of Missouri has approved civil and criminal jury instructions.

Montana

The Montana Criminal Jury Instructions (MCJI) Commission formally adopted the following instructions and verdict forms since publication of the 1999 edition of the MCJI.

New Jersey

The New Jersey judiciary has established model civil and criminal jury instructions.

New Mexico

The Supreme Court of New Mexico has provided the civil and criminal jury instructions.

New York

The New York State unified court system has the “Criminal Jury Instructions 2d” available online.

North Dakota

The State Bar Association of North Dakota has both civil and criminal jury instructions.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma State Courts Network has jury instructions for civil, criminal and juvenile cases.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Pattern Jury Instructions cover both civil and criminal jury instructions. Also, Joseph M. Tipton, Presiding Judge, Tennessee Court of Appeals wrote “Lesser Included Offense”, a guide to instructing juries on lesser included offenses in Tennessee.

Utah

The Model Utah Jury Instructions, Second Edition has both criminal and civil jury instructions.

Vermont

The Vermont State Bar has both pattern civil and criminal jury instructions available online.

Washington

The Washington Supreme Court Committee on Jury Instructions has placed the full text of the Washington Pattern Jury Instructions online.

West Virginia

The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has proposed jury instruction for both civil and criminal jury trials available online.