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2.1-1 Role of Judge/Role of Jury
Revised to January 1, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you
have listened to the evidence and to the arguments of counsel, and it is now
time to listen to me as I charge you on the law that applies to this dispute.
You as the jury and I as the judge
have two separate functions. It is your function to find what the facts are in
this case; with respect to the facts, you and you alone are charged with that
responsibility. My function is to instruct you as to the law to be applied to
the facts that you find in order to decide this case. With respect to the law,
what I say to you is binding upon you and you must follow my instructions.
I do not have any preference as to the
outcome of this case. I have not meant to convey by facial expression or tone
of voice or in any other way at any time during the trial any preference or
inclination as to how you should decide the facts, and you should not make any
such interpretations. If, in my instructions to you, I refer to one party more
than the other, or do anything that in your mind suggests a preference for one
side or the other, it is not done on purpose. My task has been to apply the
rules of evidence and to instruct you as to the law. It is for you alone to
decide on the outcome of this case.
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