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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).

Reasons for Being Excused from Jury Service Medical reasons. Public necessity. Undue hardship. Dependent care. Student Status. Military conflict. Other reason deemed sufficient by the court.

Don't lose your temper, try to bully, or refuse to listen to the opinions of other jurors. Don't mark or write on exhibits or otherwise change or injure them. Don't try to guess what might happen if the case you have heard is appealed.

A party must persuade you, by the evidence presented in court, that what he or she is required to prove is more likely to be true than not true. This is referred to as "the burden of proof."

The answer is simple: The law doesn't allow it. The lengthy instructions, which the judge read to jurors right before they started deliberating, are meant to serve as a road map and to help them apply the relevant law to the facts as they have found them.

The judge will instruct the jury in each separate case as to the law of that case. For example, in each criminal case, the judge will tell the jury, among other things, that a defendant charged with a crime is presumed to be innocent and the burden of proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is upon the Government.

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.

There are four levels of court in Washington: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the superior courts and courts of limited jurisdiction, or district and municipal courts.