Jury trials divide fact-finding to jurors and law-determination to judges.

Evidence

Jury Instructions In a bench trial, the judge decides both questions of fact and questions of law. A jury trial, however, involves a division of labor, with the jury responsible for deciding questions of fact and the judge responsible for determining the law to be applied. Thus, after closing arguments, the judge instructs the jury about the law in the case to guide it in its deliberations. The judge’s instructions are written explanations of the law, which the judge reads to the jury in open court. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1401

Categorization

• DEFINE: States the core judge/jury division of labor that defines the trial structure and grounds appellate review of instruction errors.
• XREF: Connects to standard appellate review standards discussed elsewhere in the course: instructions errors are reviewed for whether they misstated the law. — connects to: Some trials dispute legal application while facts go uncontested. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 798; Trials resolve disputes over facts, over law, or over both — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1275; Judges decide law while juries decide facts and apply it — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1409 (+15 more)

Broader Connections

• Judges decide law while juries decide facts and apply it #corroborates (1.00) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1409
• Diverse juries erase the disparity in how carefully evidence is weighed #expands (1.00)
• Trial and appellate courts perform distinct functions regarding facts versus legal correctness #expands (1.00) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 218
• Jurors scrutinize evidence more carefully when the defendant is a minority #complicates (1.00)
• Selective evidence can mislead juries about the case’s credibility. #complicates (0.90) — Lynley Hood, A City Possessed, 2644
• Real-world data show juror bias but lab studies often fail to replicate it #complicates (0.80) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 853
• Observational judicial bias findings can be confounded by case sorting upstream of the judge #complicates (0.80) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 775
• Juries can be influenced by the number of allegations presented. #complicates (0.80) — Lynley Hood, A City Possessed, 2583
• Racial bias and out-group bias are distinct juror phenomena #complicates (0.80) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 845
• Publication bias skews the research record on prosecution disparities #complicates (0.80)
• Judge disparities may really reflect prosecutor behavior rather than judicial bias #complicates (0.80) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 739
• Trial procedure itself biases jurors toward the death penalty after a guilty verdict #complicates (0.80) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2004
• One side’s refusal to follow jury-selection research can shape a trial’s outcome #complicates (0.70) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 835
• Jurors displace guilt onto the legal system’s decisions #complicates (0.70) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2001