UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
JACKSONVILLE DIVISION
CIVIL JURY TRIAL PROCEDURES BEFORE
THE HONORABLE JORDAN E. PRATT
These guidelines are provided to assist you in preparing for and conducting a
civil 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 that has not been 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.
(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 on 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: Unless otherwise ordered by
the Court, civil juries will consist of eight (8) jurors. As a general rule, the
Court will seat twenty-five (25) 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. Then the Court will conduct an initial voir dire examination of
the twenty-five (25) jurors.
The parties may request additional questions for the Court to inquire of
the twenty-five (25) jurors, following the Court’s initial voir dire examination.
Following counsel’s questions, 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.
(h) 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.
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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