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In this lesson, you will learn the purpose of closing arguments, jury instructions, jury deliberation, and judgment.
The closing stages of a trial
- Closing arguments
- Jury instructions
- Jury deliberation
- Judgment
Transcript
After the judge or jury has all the evidence, the parties present closing arguments. The purpose of closing arguments is for the parties to remind the judge or jury of key evidence and persuade them to rule in their favor.
The parties might point out key evidence, interpret what the evidence means, comment on credibility of certain witnesses, and so on.
After closing arguments, the jury gets instructions or guidelines from the judge that tells them the law to follow when deciding the case. The instructions list all the elements the plaintiff must prove in order to prevail.
After closing arguments, the jury is sent away to deliberate or decide, within the guidelines of the instructions, which argument it will support. After deliberations, the jury reaches a verdict or decision.
If no jury is involved, the judge renders a judgment. A judgment is the decision by a judge about the rights and liabilities of the parties in the case. Where there\’s a jury, the judge signs the jury\’s verdict, which makes it a judgment.