(a) The judicial authority shall cause the jurors selected for the trial to be sworn or affirmed in accordance with General Statutes §§ 1-23 and 1-25. The judicial authority shall admonish the jurors not to read, listen to or view news reports of the case or to discuss with each other or with any person not a member of the jury the cause under consideration, except that after the case has been submitted to the jury for deliberation the jurors shall discuss it among themselves in the jury room.
Section 16-8.Oath and Admonitions to Trial Jurors
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceRule 16-8 requires trial jurors to be sworn or affirmed and admonished against outside discussion or media coverage of the case until deliberations begin, and directs that an interpreter for a deaf or hard-of-hearing juror stay silent during deliberations except to translate.
Full Text of Section 16-8
(b) In the presence of the jury, the judicial authority shall instruct any interpreter for a juror who is deaf or hard of hearing to refrain from participating in any manner in the deliberations of the jury and to refrain from having any communications, oral or visual, with any member of the jury except for the literal translation of jurors’ remarks made during deliberations.
Amendment History
(P.B. 1998.) (Amended June 13, 2019, to take effect Jan. 1, 2020.)
Plain-English Summary
Subsection (a) directs the judicial authority to have the jurors selected for trial sworn or affirmed under General Statutes §§ 1-23 and 1-25. The judicial authority must also admonish the jurors not to read, listen to, or view news reports about the case, and not to discuss the case under consideration with each other or with anyone outside the jury — except that once the case has been submitted to the jury for deliberation, the jurors are to discuss it among themselves in the jury room.
Subsection (b) addresses interpreters. In the presence of the jury, the judicial authority instructs any interpreter assisting a deaf or hard-of-hearing juror to refrain from taking part in the jury’s deliberations in any way and to refrain from any communication, oral or visual, with a jury member, except for literally translating what jurors say during deliberations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must jurors avoid before deliberations begin?
The judicial authority admonishes jurors not to read, listen to, or view news reports about the case and not to discuss the case with each other or with anyone outside the jury until it has been submitted for deliberation.
When can jurors discuss the case with each other?
Only after the case has been submitted to the jury for deliberation — at that point they discuss it among themselves in the jury room.
What can an interpreter for a deaf or hard-of-hearing juror do during deliberations?
The interpreter may only literally translate jurors’ remarks made during deliberations, and must otherwise refrain from participating in the deliberations or communicating with any juror.
What statutes govern how trial jurors are sworn in Connecticut?
The judicial authority causes the selected jurors to be sworn or affirmed in accordance with General Statutes §§ 1-23 and 1-25.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 16-8). 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: juror oath Connecticutjuror admonition against discussing casejury deliberation rules CTinterpreter for deaf juror deliberationswhen can jurors discuss the case