Upon the court’s own motion or upon the request of any party, the court shall permit jurors to take notes. If jurors are permitted to take notes, the court shall supply each juror with suitable materials. Jurors shall not take their notes out of the courtroom except to use their notes during deliberations. The court shall collect all juror notes immediately before discharge of the jury. After the jury is discharged, the court shall destroy the notes promptly without permitting their review by the court or any other person. Juror notes shall not be used to impeach a verdict.
Rule 69.03.Juror Note-Taking.
Part I · Rule 69: Trial by Jury · Last amended January 1, 2002 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 69.03 requires the court to let jurors take notes on the court's own motion or a party's request, controls the handling and destruction of those notes, and prohibits using juror notes to impeach a verdict.
Full Text of Rule 69.03
Amendment History
Adopted March 26, 1996, eff. Jan. 1, 1997. Amended June 25, 2001, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Amended Dec. 18, 2001, eff. Jan. 1, 2002.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 69.03 gives jurors a tool for keeping track of a trial as it unfolds. Whether the court raises it on its own motion or a party requests it, the court must permit jurors to take notes and must supply suitable materials for that purpose. Jurors can't take those notes out of the courtroom, except to use them during deliberations.
Once the jury is discharged, the notes don't linger. The court collects all juror notes immediately before discharge and destroys them promptly, without letting the court or anyone else review them. That destruction requirement protects the privacy of the jury's deliberative process.
The rule also closes off one potential use of juror notes: they can't be used to impeach a verdict. A party can't point to what a juror wrote down during trial to challenge the verdict the jury reached.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are jurors allowed to take notes during a Missouri civil trial?
Yes, the court must permit note-taking when it acts on its own motion or a party requests it, and must supply suitable materials.
Can jurors take their notes home?
No, jurors can't remove their notes from the courtroom, except to use them during deliberations.
What happens to juror notes after the trial ends?
The court collects all notes immediately before the jury is discharged and destroys them promptly, without allowing review by the court or anyone else.
Can a lawyer use a juror's notes to challenge the verdict?
No, the rule prohibits using juror notes to impeach a verdict.
Who decides whether jurors get to take notes in a given trial?
The court, acting either on its own motion or upon a party's request, must permit it.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Missouri State & Federal Court Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Missouri. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: juror note taking rulejury notes during deliberationsdestroying juror notes after trialcan jurors take notes at trialnotes to impeach a verdict