Create Legal Virginia Jury Instructions Forms For Free

When a party has the burden of proving any claim [or affirmative defense] by a preponderance of the evidence, it means you must be persuaded by the evidence that the claim [or affirmative defense] is more probably true than not true.

We have reached the point where you are about to undertake your final function as jurors. You have paid careful attention to the evidence, and I am confident that you will act together with fairness and impartiality to reach a just verdict in the case. My duty at this point is to instruct you as to the law.

The judge instructs the jury that their vote must be unanimous and that, if found guilty, the boy will face the death penalty. Cut to the jury room where the story takes place. An anonymous vote is taken where all the jurors vote guilty, save one...

The judge issues a judge's charge to inform the jury how to act in deciding a case. The jury instructions provide something of a flowchart on what verdict jurors should deliver based on what they determine to be true. Put another way, "If you believe A (set of facts), you must find X (verdict).

(1) Members of the jury, now it is time for me to instruct you about the law you must follow in deciding this case. (2) I will start by explaining your duties and the general rules that apply in every criminal case. (3) Then I will explain the elements of the crimes that the defendant is accused of committing.

Jury instructions should ideally be brief, concise, non-repetitive, relevant to the case's details, understandable to the average juror, and should correctly state the law without misleading the jury or inviting unnecessary speculation.