Tag: jury instructions
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Colorado Supreme Court appears OK with revised ‘reasonable doubt’ instruction
The Colorado Supreme Court appeared largely comfortable on Thursday with the recently revised definition of “reasonable doubt” that is now part of the template jury instructions for criminal cases. To date, multiple Court of Appeals decisions have endorsed the constitutionality of the new phrasing, which resembles the instruction given in Colorado’s federal trial court. U.S.…
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Appeals judge to Supreme Court: Please endorse a single reasonable doubt definition for Colorado
A member of Colorado’s second-highest court asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to endorse one definition of “reasonable doubt” for trial judges to use — out of the three versions currently on the table. Colorado’s template jury instructions for criminal trials used to explain reasonable doubt as a doubt, based upon reason and common…
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‘Pick your battles’: Federal judge walks lawyers through do’s and don’ts of jury instructions
Jury instructions should be relevant, accurate, brief and understandable. Those were the key points emphasized by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello on Friday during a presentation to lawyers at the federal courthouse in downtown Denver. She said the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and prompted her to speak publicly about the…
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Judges warn about bias in courtrooms, legal profession
During his career as a lawyer, Denver District Court Judge Jon J. Olafson, who is gay, would get singled out as “the party planner.” Karen Steinhauser, a lawyer and Aurora Municipal Court relief judge, was once called up to a judge’s bench by herself, only to be told, “You look really lovely today.” “When we…