Alaska Civil Pattern Jury Instruction 1A.01

This is the first time that an objection has been made to evidence. I want to (remind) (tell) you objections are not to be held against a party. An objection is a way of asking the court to determine whether the law allows certain evidence to come before you. Unless parties object, I may not know that there is a possible problem with evidence. So when an objection is made, you should keep in mind that it is a normal part of a trial and that it signifies that one party wants me to decide whether the law allows you to hear certain evidence. If I decide that it does, the evidence will come before you, and you will decide how much weight, if any, to give it. If I decide that it does not, the evidence will be excluded. (Remember that questions are not evidence. If I direct a witness not to answer a question, the question should be completely disregarded.)

From time to time the parties and I may have a conversation out of your presence or we may excuse you from the courtroom. I will try to avoid unnecessary interruptions in the flow of the trial. Sometimes, however, it is necessary for complex legal matters to be resolved before I can decide whether to admit or to exclude evidence as the law requires. All parties have a right to have the law properly applied to them. This requires that all legal questions be carefully considered so that you can hear all the relevant evidence.