Rule 5.606 Juror’s competency as a witness

This rule covers when a juror can testify as a witness. It has two main parts: what happens during the trial itself, and what happens later if someone questions whether the verdict was reached properly.

During the trial, a juror serving on the case cannot also testify as a witness in front of the other jurors. If one side wants to call a sitting juror to testify, the judge has to let the other side raise objections first, without the jury in the room.

After the trial, if someone challenges the verdict, jurors are usually not allowed to talk about what happened behind closed doors during deliberations. They cannot testify about comments made in the jury room, how those comments affected anyone's vote, or what was going on in any juror's mind when they decided on the verdict. Courts will not even accept written statements from jurors about these things.

There are three exceptions to this rule. A juror can speak up if outside information that should not have been considered somehow reached the jury. A juror can also testify if someone outside the jury tried to improperly influence the decision. Finally, a juror can point out if the verdict was written down wrong on the form, even if that mistake matched what the jury actually decided in the room. Outside of these three situations, what happens during jury deliberations generally stays private.