Pattern Jury Instruction Commission

The Pattern Jury Instruction Commission, established by Supreme Court rule, is composed of six lawyer-members appointed by the State Bar Association of North Dakota Board of Governors and six judge-members appointed by the chair of the Judicial Conference after consultation with the Executive Committee. In addition to revising and developing instructions corresponding to current law, the Commission is engaged in an extensive review of all pre-1986 civil and criminal instructions. A primary goal is rewriting the instructions using plain English, that is, language that is understandable by jurors without a legal background.