(a) The judicial authority shall submit to the jury all exhibits received in evidence.
Section 16-15.Materials To Be Submitted to Jury
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule spells out what goes to the jury room: all admitted exhibits automatically, plus pleadings and copies or recordings of the judge's instructions at the judicial authority's discretion.
Full Text of Section 16-15
(b) The judicial authority may, in its discretion, submit to the jury:
(1) The complaint, counterclaim and cross complaint, and responsive pleadings thereto;
(2) A copy or audio recording of the judicial authority’s instructions to the jury;
(3) In response to an inquiry by the jury, a copy or audio recording of an appropriate portion of the judicial authority’s instructions to the jury.
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 309B.) (Amended June 20, 2011, to take effect Jan. 1, 2012; amended June 24, 2016, to take effect Jan. 1, 2017.)
Plain-English Summary
Section 16-15 separates what the jury must receive from what it may receive. Under subsection (a), the judicial authority has no discretion about exhibits: it shall submit to the jury all exhibits received in evidence.
Subsection (b) covers three additional categories the judge may, in its discretion, send to the jury: the complaint, counterclaim, and cross complaint along with the responsive pleadings to them; a copy or audio recording of the judge’s instructions to the jury; and, if the jury asks a question, a copy or audio recording of the relevant portion of those instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all trial exhibits automatically go to the jury room in Connecticut?
Yes. Section 16-15(a) requires the judicial authority to submit to the jury all exhibits received in evidence.
Can the jury get a copy of the judge’s instructions during deliberations?
Yes, at the judge’s discretion. Section 16-15(b) allows the judicial authority to submit a copy or audio recording of the instructions, and to provide the relevant portion again if the jury asks a question about them.
Do the pleadings, like the complaint, go into the jury room?
Only if the judicial authority chooses to allow it. Subsection (b)(1) lists the complaint, counterclaim, cross complaint, and responsive pleadings as materials the judge may, but need not, submit to the jury.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 16-15). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: what goes to the jury roomexhibits in jury deliberationsjury access to instructionsmaterials submitted to jury Connecticutjury room documents