3d Cir. Model Jury Instr. (Criminal) 1.02

Now that you have been sworn, let me tell you what your role is as jurors in

this case.

Under our system of justice, the role of the jury is to find the facts of the

case based on the evidence presented in the trial. You must decide the facts only

from the evidence presented to you in this trial.

From the evidence that you will hear and see in court, you will decide what

the facts are and then apply to those facts the law that I will give to you in my

final instructions. That is how you will reach your verdict.

Whatever your verdict, it will have to be unanimous. All of you will have

to agree on it or there will be no verdict. In the jury room you will discuss the

case among yourselves, but ultimately each of you will have to make up his or her

own mind. There fore, each of you has a responsibility which you cannot avoid

and you should do your best throughout the trial to fulfill this responsibility.

I play no part in finding the facts. You should not take anything I may say

or do during the trial as indicating what I think of the evidence or about what

your verdict should be. My role is to make whatever legal decisions have to be

made during the course of the trial and to explain to you the legal principles that

must guide you in your decisions.

You must apply my instructions about the law. Each of the instructions is

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important. You must not substitute your own notion or opinion about what the law is

or ought to be. You must follow the law that I give to you, whether you agree with it or

not.

Perform these duties fairly and impartially. Do not allow sympathy, prejudice,

fear, or public opinion to influence you. You should also not be influenced by any

person's race, color, religion, national ancestry, or gender [, sexual orientation, profession,

occupation, celebrity, economic circumstances, or position in life or in the community].