UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
JACKSONVILLE DIVISION
CRIMINAL JURY TRIAL PROCEDURES BEFORE
THE HONORABLE JORDAN E. PRATT
These guidelines are provided to assist you in preparing for and conducting a
criminal jury trial before the Honorable Jordan E. Pratt. If you have questions
about these guidelines or any other matters relating to the trial, please call
Mr. Timothy Luksha, Courtroom Deputy, at 904.549.1303.
(a) Familiarity with Local Rules Required: Counsel must be
familiar with the Local Rules of the United States District Court for the
Middle District of Florida. Particular attention should be directed to Local
Rule 5.03 regarding courtroom decorum.
(b) Submission of Proposed Voir Dire Questions, Proposed
Jury Instructions and Proposed Jury Verdict Forms: Counsel shall
serve and file with the Clerk’s Office all proposed voir dire questions,
proposed jury instructions, and proposed verdict forms not later than six
(6) working days before the scheduled trial date. The Court will not ask
any voir dire question not previously submitted under this requirement.
Counsel shall meet to agree on a single set of instructions to the jury and
shall jointly file the same with the Clerk’s Office. If counsel cannot agree,
counsel additionally shall file proposals as to any contested instructions.
The United States shall file a short, concise (one or two page) summary
of the charges(s) against the Defendant(s). The summary shall be written in
simple terms and will be used by the Court to familiarize prospective jurors
about the charge(s).
(c) Pre-marking and Numbering Exhibits: Counsel are responsible
for pre-marking and numbering all exhibits before trial under Local Rule
3.07. Copies of blank Exhibit List and labels are available on the Court’s
preference page on the Clerk’s Office website.
(d) Preparation and Exchange of Exhibit and Witness Lists:
Counsel are also responsible for posting the exhibit number and detailed
description of each exhibit to the Exhibit List under Local Rule 3.07.
On the date the trial commences, counsel shall exchange a copy of
their Exhibit List and final Witness List with other counsel and shall also
provide three (3) copies of each list to the Courtroom Deputy.
At the conclusion of the trial, counsel shall provide the Courtroom
Deputy a copy of all admitted exhibits with exhibit tags on a thumb drive.
(e) Sharing of Witness Fees: Unless otherwise limited by the Court,
counsel may share the cost of subpoenaing common witnesses.
(f) Availability of Venire List: The venire list of prospective jurors
will be provided to counsel under Local Rule 5.02(b).
(g) Method of Voir Dire Examination: Under Local Rule 5.01, and
unless otherwise ordered by the Court, criminal juries will consist of twelve
(12) jurors and two (2) alternate jurors. As a general rule, the Court will seat
forty (40) jurors randomly selected from the venire panel into the jury box. The
Court will then instruct the entire venire panel on the nature of the case
and such other preliminary matters as may be appropriate. T h e n t he
Court will conduct an initial voir dire examination of the forty (40) jurors.
The parties may request additional questions for the Court to inquire
of the forty (40) jurors, following the Court’s initial voir dire examination.
The Court will determine whether additional inquiry needs to be made of
particular jurors. Counsel will then exercise their peremptory challenges out
of the hearing of the jury.
(a) Audio and/or visual equipment: If counsel plans to use audio
and/or visual equipment during the trial, please notify the Courtroom Deputy
ahead of time so the courtroom can be made available for testing.
(h) Courtroom Attire: It is the responsibility of defense counsel to
ensure the defendant has appropriate courtroom attire for all court
proceedings. If the defendant is in custody, appropriate attire should
be provided to the U.S. Marshal’s Office, not the jail.
PLEASE NOTE: Photo identification is required to enter the
United States Courthouse. Also, consult Local Rule 7.02 about
electronics in the courthouse.
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Copies to:
Assistant U.S. Attorney
Defense Counsel
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