VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 35.300
Attempting to Obstruct Administration of Justice—Felony
The defendant is charged with the crime of attempting to obstruct the administration of justice.
The Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of that
crime:
(1) That the defendant knowingly attempted to [obstruct; impede] the administration of justice in
(name of court); and
(2) That the defendant did so by [threat of bodily harm; force]; and
(3) That at the time of the defendant’s obstruction, the [judge; magistrate; justice; juror; witness;
attorney for the Commonwealth or law enforcement officer] was engaged in the discharge of a duty
that related to [a violation of (statute listed in Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-460(C)); a conspiracy to violate
(statute listed in Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-460(C))].
If you find from the evidence that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt
each of the above elements of the crime as charged, then you shall find the defendant guilty [but
you shall not fix the punishment until your verdict has been returned and further evidence has
been heard by you].
If you find that the Commonwealth has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt any one or
more of the elements of the crime, then you shall find the defendant not guilty.
History
Virginia Model Jury Instructions – Criminal, Release 26, October 2025. The unannotated set, posted by the Supreme Court of Virginia at vacourts.gov; the book states that it is made available with the permission of the publisher, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.
Provenance
- Source
- vacourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-11
- Edition
- crim-2025-10-01
- Content hash
b6b5f59f4ecbabc3765e414203785cd03f4a8c8f083551f68c463af98c995994
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