RULE 2-521. JURY--REVIEW OF EVIDENCE--COMMUNICATIONS
West's Annotated Code of MarylandMaryland RulesEffective: [See Text Amendments] to June 30, 2024
Effective: [See Text Amendments] to June 30, 2024
MD Rules, Rule 2-521
RULE 2-521. JURY--REVIEW OF EVIDENCE--COMMUNICATIONS
<Text of Rule 2-521 effective until June 30, 2024. See, also, Rule 2-521 effective July 1, 2024.>
(a) Jurors' Notes. The court may, and on request of any party shall, provide paper notepads for use by sworn jurors, including any alternates, during trial and deliberations. The court shall maintain control over the jurors' notes during the trial and promptly destroy the notes after the trial. Notes may not be reviewed or relied upon for any purpose by any person other than the author. If a sworn juror is unable to use a notepad because of a disability, the court shall provide a reasonable accommodation.
(b) Items Taken to Jury Room. Sworn jurors may take their notes with them when they retire for deliberation. Unless the court for good cause orders otherwise, the jury may also take exhibits that have been admitted in evidence, except that a deposition may not be taken into the jury room without the agreement of all parties and consent of the court. Written or electronically recorded instructions may be taken into the jury room only with the permission of the court.
Cross reference: See Rule 5-802.1(e).
(c) Jury Request to Review Evidence. The court, after notice to the parties, may make available to the jury testimony or other evidence requested by it. In order that undue prominence not be given to the evidence requested, the court may also make available additional evidence relating to the same factual issue.
Committee note: Whether a communication pertains to the action is defined by case law. See, for example, Harris v. State, 428 Md. 700 (2012) and Grade v. State, 431 Md. 85 (2013).
(C) If the judge determines that the communication pertains to the action, the judge shall promptly, and before responding to the communication, direct that the parties be notified of the communication and invite and consider, on the record, the parties' position on any response. The judge may respond to the communication in writing or orally in open court on the record.
(A) The clerk shall enter on the docket (i) the date and time that each communication from the jury or a juror was received by or reported to the judge, (ii) whether the communication was written or oral, and, if oral, the nature of the communication, (iii) whether the judge concluded that the communication pertained to the action, and (iv) if so, whether the parties and attorneys were notified and had an opportunity on the record to state their position on any response.
Source: This Rule is derived as follows:
Section (a) is new.
Section (b) is derived from former Rules 558 a, b and d and 758 b.
Section (c) is derived from former Rule 758 c.
Section (d) is derived in part from former Rule 758 d and is in part new.
Credits
[Adopted April 6, 1984, eff. July 1, 1984. Amended Dec. 15, 1993, eff. July 1, 1994; Nov. 12, 2003, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; April 5, 2005, eff. July 1, 2005; Dec. 4, 2007, eff. Jan. 1, 2008; Oct. 17, 2013, eff. Jan. 1, 2014; March 2, 2015, eff. July 1, 2015.]
MD Rules, Rule 2-521, MD R RCP CIR CT Rule 2-521
Current with amendments received through February 1, 2024. Some sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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