The trial court shall provide each juror with the juror’s own copy of all written instructions that the court reads to the jury before, during or at the conclusion of the trial. The court may include the copies of the instructions in the juror notebook provided to each juror, if juror notebooks will be used at trial. Jurors shall be permitted to take their copies of the instructions with them for reference during recesses and during their deliberations. Jurors shall not be permitted, however, to take their copies of the jury instructions out of the courthouse.
Rule 39.3.Copies of instructions for jurors
Group VI: Trials · Last amended March 1, 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 39.3 requires the court to give each juror a personal copy of every written instruction read during trial, for use in the courthouse only.
Full Text of Rule 39.3
Amendment History
Added February 2, 2017, effective March 1, 2017.
Plain-English Summary
Whenever the judge reads written instructions to the jury — before trial, during it, or at the close of the evidence — each juror gets an individual copy to follow along and keep for reference. The court can fold these copies into a juror notebook under Rule 39.1 if the trial is using notebooks, rather than handing out loose pages.
Jurors may hold onto their instruction copies through recesses and deliberations, which lets them check the exact wording of an instruction rather than rely on memory. The same courthouse-only limit that applies to notes and notebooks applies here too: jurors cannot take their copies of the instructions home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every juror get their own copy of the instructions?
Yes. Rule 39.3 requires the court to give each individual juror a personal copy of every written instruction read to the jury, not just one shared copy for the group.
Can instruction copies be combined with a juror notebook?
Yes. If the trial uses juror notebooks under Rule 39.1, the court may include the instruction copies inside those notebooks instead of distributing separate pages.
Can jurors keep their instructions during deliberations?
Yes. Jurors are permitted to take their copies of the instructions into deliberations and recesses so they can refer back to the exact language.
Can a juror take the instructions home overnight?
No. Rule 39.3 bars jurors from removing their copies of the jury instructions from the courthouse at any point during the trial.
Does this rule cover instructions given only orally?
Rule 39.3 addresses written instructions the court reads to the jury; it requires individual copies of that written material, not a transcript of every oral remark from the bench.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Wyoming. Last verified July 14, 2026. ·
Official source
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