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For jury instructions to be effective, they must be clear and simple. Sentences should be short; instruc- • tions should contain no more than a few sentences, cover only one topic, and be directly related to the circumstances of the case (they should not be abstract statements of the law).

(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.

The judge will advise the jury that it is the sole judge of the facts and of the credibility (believability) of witnesses. He or she will note that the jurors are to base their conclusions on the evidence as presented in the trial, and that the opening and closing arguments of the lawyers are not evidence.

The Need to Object to Bad Jury Instructions As a rule, legally erroneous instructions are presumably objected to by the opposing party. That's a standard for California courts. However, it's a good idea for the opposing party to put any objections to those instructions on the record.

For jury instructions to be effective, they must be clear and simple. Sentences should be short; instruc- • tions should contain no more than a few sentences, cover only one topic, and be directly related to the circumstances of the case (they should not be abstract statements of the law).

What are Jury Instructions? Jury instructions tell the jury what the laws are that govern a particular case. Each attorney gives the judge a set of proposed jury instructions. The judge considers each instruction and gives the one that properly states the law that applies to the case.

How should the new instructions be cited? The full cite should be to "Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (year)". The short cite to particular instructions should be to "CACI No. ____."

Either before or after the closing arguments by the lawyers, the judge will explain the law that applies to the case to you. This is the judge's instruction to the jury. You have to apply that law to the facts, as you have heard them, in arriving at your verdict.

One of the most important components of a trial is the case's jury instructions. These instructions or directions help jurors pinpoint a case's specific issues, as well as those laws that are applicable and determinative of the outcome.