All requests to charge shall be numbered consecutively on separate sheets of paper and submitted to the court in duplicate by counsel for all parties at the commencement of trial, unless otherwise provided by pre-trial order; provided, however, that additional requests may be submitted to cover unanticipated points which arise thereafter.
Rule 10.3.Requests and Exceptions to Charge
Rule 10. TRIALS · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceRule 10.3 requires counsel to submit numbered jury-charge requests on separate sheets, in duplicate, at the start of trial unless the pretrial order sets a different schedule, while still allowing additional requests later to cover points that arise unexpectedly during trial.
Full Text of Rule 10.3
Plain-English Summary
Rule 10.3 sets the mechanics for asking the judge to instruct the jury on a particular point of law. Counsel number each requested charge consecutively, put them on separate sheets rather than running them together, and hand the judge two copies at the start of trial. The pretrial order can move that deadline, so parties who have already flagged their anticipated charges in the pretrial order — as Rule 7.2’s template calls for — follow whatever timing that order sets instead of waiting for trial to start.
Trial does not always go as planned, and the rule accounts for that. If an issue comes up that nobody anticipated when the initial requests were filed, counsel can submit additional requests to charge covering that new point after trial is already underway, rather than being locked into whatever was filed before the trial began.
Frequently Asked Questions
How must requests to charge be formatted?
Numbered consecutively on separate sheets of paper.
How many copies of requests to charge must be submitted?
In duplicate.
When are requests to charge due?
At the commencement of trial, unless otherwise provided by pretrial order.
Can additional requests to charge be submitted after trial starts?
Yes, to cover unanticipated points that arise after the initial submission.
Does the pretrial order affect the timing of requests to charge?
Yes. It can set a different deadline than the default of the commencement of trial.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Uniform Superior Court Rules, published by the
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: georgia jury charge request ruleUSCR 10.3requests to charge format georgia superior courtjury instructions request timing georgia trialunanticipated requests to charge georgia