IL · jury_instructions
Ill. Pattern Jury Instr. (Criminal) 1.01A
Preliminary Cautionary Instructions Before Opening Statements
[1] Members of the jury, the trial is about to commence, and I now will instruct you as to
the law regarding some of your duties during trial and deliberations.
[2] You should not do any independent investigation or research on any subject or person
relating to the case. What you may have seen or heard outside the courtroom is not evidence.
This includes any press, radio, or television programs and it also includes any information
available on the Internet. Such programs, reports, and information are not evidence and your
verdict must not be influenced in any way by such material.
[3] For example, you must not use the Internet, including [(Google) (Wikipedia) (insert
current examples)], or any other sources that you might otherwise use, to search for any
information about the case, or the law which applies to the case, or the people involved in the
case, including the defendant, witnesses, lawyers, and judge.
[4] During the course of the trial, do not communicate with, provide information
personally, in writing, or electronically to anyone about this case — not even your own families
or friends, courtroom personnel, and also not even among yourselves until instructed otherwise.
[5] You must not provide any information about the case to anyone by any means at all,
and this includes posting information about the case, or your thoughts about it, on any device or
Internet site, including [(blogs) (chat rooms) or (insert current examples)], or any social
networking websites, such as [(Twitter) (Facebook) or (insert current examples)], or any other
means.
[6] You cannot use any electronic devices or services to communicate about this case,
including [(cellphones) (smartphones) (laptops) (the Internet) (insert current examples)] and any
other tools of technology. The use of any such devices or services in connection with your duties
is prohibited.
[7] Lawyers, parties, and witnesses are not permitted to speak with you about any subject,
even if unrelated to this case, until after the case is over and you are discharged from your duties
as jurors.
Provenance
- Source
- illinoiscourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-20
- Edition
- 2026-08-19
- Content hash
8a9c4773523129a9bb3e865f7d59fa14a208a60b7dbedb73c684578dbb7a375e
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