Local Rule Rule 51: REQUESTS FOR JURY INSTRUCTIONS

Rule 51. REQUESTS FOR JURY INSTRUCTIONS

(a) When Due. Requests for instructions must be submitted not later than 14 days before the date for which trial is set; additional and revised instructions may be admitted thereafter as the evidence may justify.

(b) How Presented. Each requested instruction must be on a separate document, must be numbered (as P-1, et seq. and D-1, et seq.), and must be supported by citation of authority on papers separate from the requested instruction. Copies must be furnished to opposing counsel when the special requests are submitted to the court. Where good cause is shown to exist, counsel may, with the permission of the court, submit additional written requests during the progress of the trial.

(c) Automated Formats. Parties registered on the court's electronic filing system must submit instructions via electronic mail to the chambers of the trial judge. Proposed instructions should not be docketed or filed with the court's CM/ECF system. The addresses for the district judges' and for the magistrate judges' chambers appear on the courts' Internet Websites and in the courts' Administrative Procedures for Electronic Case Filing.

(d) Standard Instructions Not Required. Counsel should not submit pattern or "boilerplate" instructions which are routinely given by the court. This rule is intended to give the court an opportunity to study requests for instructions tailored specifically for a particular trial.