Rule 11-606 Juror’s competency as a witness.

This rule has two main parts. The first part says that a juror cannot testify as a witness in the same trial where they are serving on the jury. If someone wants a juror to testify, the judge must let the other side raise objections without the jury hearing them.

The second part deals with what happens after a trial, when someone questions whether the verdict was reached properly. In most cases, a juror cannot testify about what was said during deliberations, how it affected anyone's vote, or what was going on in a juror's mind when they made their decision. Courts also cannot accept written statements or other evidence about these inner workings of the jury.

There are three exceptions to this rule. A juror can speak up if outside information that shouldn't have been part of the case reached the jury. A juror can also testify if someone outside the jury tried to improperly influence the verdict. Finally, a juror can point out if there was a simple clerical mistake in writing down the verdict on the form.

This rule protects the privacy of jury deliberations so jurors can speak freely without fear that their words will be used against them later. At the same time, it allows courts to fix real problems, like outside interference or clerical errors, without opening the door to endless questioning about what jurors were thinking.