Access to Jurors

At the conclusion of all jury trials, judges instruct jurors on a number of matters. Among other things, these instructions guide jurors as to whether or not they choose to respond to any media inquiries. The instructions follow:

“You have now completed your duties as jurors in this case, and are discharged with the sincere thanks of this court. The question may arise as to whether you may discuss this case with the attorneys or with anyone else. For your guidance, the court instructs you that whether you talk to the attorneys or to anyone else is entirely your own decision. It is proper for you to discuss this case if you wish to, but you are not required to do so and you may choose not to discuss the case with anyone at all. If you choose to talk to someone about this case, you may tell them as much or as little as you like about your deliberations or the facts that influenced your decisions. If anyone persists in discussing the case over your objections or becomes critical of your service, either before or after discussion has begun, you may report it to me.”