Rule 29.1 Closing argument

Once all the evidence has been presented and the judge has given instructions to the jury, both sides get a chance to make their final arguments before the jury begins deliberating. This rule sets the order for those arguments.

The prosecution goes first and lays out their case to the jury. Then the defense gets a turn to respond with their own argument. Finally, the prosecution gets one more chance to speak, called a rebuttal, where they can respond to what the defense just said.

This order matters because it gives the prosecution both the first and last word before the jury decides the case. The defense only gets one opportunity to argue, so their argument needs to cover everything they want the jury to think about, since they will not get a chance to respond after the prosecution's rebuttal.