“You have now been sworn as jurors in this case. I want to impress on you the seriousness and importance of serving on a jury. Trial by jury is a fundamental right in California. The parties have a right to a jury that is selected fairly, that comes to the case without bias, and that will attempt to reach a verdict based on the evidence presented. Before we begin, I need to explain how you must conduct yourselves during the trial. Do not allow anything that happens outside this courtroom to affect your decision. During the trial do not talk about this case or the people involved in it with anyone, including family and persons living in your household, friends and co-workers, spiritual leaders, advisors, or therapists. You may say you are on a jury and how long the trial may take, but that is all. You must not even talk about the case with the other jurors until after I tell you that it is time for you to decide the case. This prohibition is not limited to face-to-face conversations. It also extends to all forms of electronic communications. Do not use any electronic device or media, such as a cell phone or smart phone, PDA,
computer, the Internet, any Internet service, any text or instant messaging service, any Internet chat room, blog, or website, including social networking websites or online diaries, to send or receive any information to or from anyone about this case or your experience as a juror until after you have been discharged from your jury duty. During the trial you must not listen to anyone else talk about the case or the people involved in the case. You must avoid any contact with the parties, the lawyers, the witnesses, and anyone else who may have a connection to the case. If anyone tries to talk to you about this case, tell that person that you cannot discuss it because you are a juror. If that person keeps talking to you, simply walk away and report the incident to the court attendant as soon as you can. After the trial is over and I have released you from jury duty, you may
discuss the case with anyone, but you are not required to do so. During the trial, do not read, listen to, or watch any news reports about this case. This prohibition extends to the use of the Internet in any way, including reading any blog about the case or about anyone involved with it. If you receive any information about this case from any source outside of the courtroom, promptly report it to the court attendant. It is important that all jurors see and hear the same evidence at the same time. Do not do any research on your own or as a group. Do not use dictionaries, the Internet, or other reference materials. Do not investigate the case or conduct any experiments. Do not contact anyone to assist you, such as a family accountant, doctor, or lawyer. Do not visit or view the scene of any event involved in this case or use any Internet maps or
mapping programs or any other program or device to search for or to view any place discussed in the testimony. If you happen to pass by the scene, do not stop or investigate. If you do need to view the scene during the trial, you will be taken there as a group under proper supervision. It is important that you keep an open mind throughout this trial. Evidence can only be presented a piece at a time. Do not form or express an opinion about this case while the trial is going on. You must not
decide on a verdict until after you have heard all the evidence and have discussed it thoroughly with your fellow jurors in your deliberations. Do not concern yourselves with the reasons for the rulings I will make during the course of the trial. Do not guess what I may think your verdict should be from anything I might say or do. When you begin your deliberations, you may discuss the case only in the jury room and only when all the jurors are present. You must decide what the facts are in this case. Do not let bias, sympathy, prejudice, or public opinion influence your verdict. At the end of the trial, I will explain the law that you must follow to reach your verdict. You must follow the law as I explain it to you, even if you do not agree with the law.”
[CACI Jury Instructions [citations omitted]]
