State Jury Instructions: Almost every state has a set of official jury instructions covering common situations. These are called "model," "pattern" or "approved" jury instructions.
Many states post their official instructions online. Links are compiled in Reference from Coast to Coast: Jury Instructions Update by Margi Heinen and Jan Bissett. If that doesn't work, try a good search engine, look through the relevant state court Web site and/or call the relevant court.
In addition, jury instructions for many states are available on Lexis and Westlaw. For more specific information, see entries for individual states.
You can find the titles of these official jury instruction books for each state listed under "Jury Instructions" in the subject index of Legal Looseleafs in Print and under "Civil Procedure" in Searching the Law: The States. Alternatively, search the online catalog of a law library in the state in question or look in a legal research guide for that state.
Federal Jury Instructions: Many but not all Federal circuits have pattern criminal jury instructions. These are published in several places including the "criminal" volumes of Sand's Modern Federal Jury Instructions (Matthew Bender).
Some Federal circuits have approved civil jury instructions. These are published in pamphlets at the end of Federal Jury Practice and Instructions (Thomson/West) and Modern Federal Jury Instructions (Lexis/Matthew Bender).
To find Federal jury instructions online, see the Pattern Jury Instructions page posted by the Fifth Circuit Library. If that doesn't work, check the web site of the relevant court(s) and/or search with a good search engine.
Federal jury instructions are also available on Lexis (e.g.,
LITGAT;FCCV03 for 3rd Circuit civil or CRTFLS;FDJYIF to search all Circuits at once) and Westlaw (FED-JI, covering all Circuits).
General Jury Instruction Guides: The Michie Jury Instructions Series provides general information for writing jury instructions, organized by topic. The Series is available in hard copy and on Lexis.
Transcripts of Jury Instructions: See "Court Reporters."
See also the Guide entries for individual courts and states.
