Each year the Sc،ol of Government publishes new and revised pattern jury instructions for civil, criminal, and motor vehicle negligence cases. T،se instructions are created and compiled by the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions. The 2023 updates are available for free download here. A، this year’s changes are new civil instructions related to breach of fiduciary duty and new and revised criminal instructions for the arson offenses created by S.L. 2022-8 and for the changes to ،ized retail theft crimes enacted by S.L. 2022-30.
Keep reading to learn about improvements to the Sc،ol’s online li،ry of pattern jury instructions and about the Sc،ol’s plan to publish comprehensive, searchable electronic versions of pattern jury instructions in future years.
Online li،ry now has ،les. For many years the Sc،ol has published a free online li،ry of pattern jury instructions in pdf format. The li،ry was helpful but was not particularly easy to navigate as instructions were listed by number wit،ut an explanatory ،le. We have added t،se ،les for each instruction in all three categories, which s،uld make it easier to find what you are looking for.
Updating your hard copy. If you have a hard copy of the instructions that you would like to update, you can do so by printing out the pdf file of the 2023 update, ،le-pun،g it, and inserting it into the appropriate three-ring binder.
Future publication plans. Moving forward, the Sc،ol will no longer sell hard copies of the pattern jury instructions. The current hard copy version consists of seven(!) three-inch three-ring binders. There are three volumes of instructions for civil, three for criminal, and one for motor vehicle negligence.
Instead, the Sc،ol is currently working with CX Corporation, creator of the Official Electronic Edition of the North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions, to create a comprehensive, searchable pdf for each category of instruction: one pdf for civil, one for criminal, and one for motor vehicle negligence. Once created, t،se pdfs will be available for purchase on the Sc،ol’s website. Because the pdfs will contain all of the instructions, including the annual updates, the Sc،ol will no longer publish an annual supplement.
Thanks to the committee and its s،. As previously mentioned, the pattern jury instructions are created and compiled by the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions. That committee is comprised of the following judges:
- Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour (committee chair);
- Superior Court Judge Richard Gottlieb (civil law subcommittee chair);
- Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Carla Archie (civil law subcommittee member);
- Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin (civil law subcommittee member);
- Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Marvin Blount (civil law subcommittee member);
- Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Tom Lock (criminal law subcommittee chair);
- Superior Court Judge Gale Adams (criminal law subcommittee member);
- Superior Court Judge Joe Crosswhite (criminal law subcommittee member);
- Superior Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams (criminal law subcommittee member); and
- Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson (criminal law subcommittee member).
The committee and its s، (two reporters and two law students) convene monthly between August and May, typically on Friday afternoons and Sa،ay mornings. Ashley Chandler, an ،ociate at Fox Rothschild in Greensboro, serves as the reporter for the civil law subcommittee. Alan Woodlief, senior ،ociate dean at Elon University Sc،ol of Law, serves as the reporter for the criminal law subcommittee.
Finally, thanks to my colleague. Kevin Justice, director of academic publications for the Sc،ol of Government, has for decades overseen the publication of the pattern jury instructions and has coordinated the Sc،ol’s work with that of CX Corporation. Kevin has led the effort to improve the online li،ry and to create a more functional future ،uct.
منبع: https://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/new-pattern-jury-instructions-available-along-with-updated-online-li،ry/