Please see attached for instruction and guidelines.
DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
You will complete 2 Discussions in this course. You will post one thread between 300 and 350
words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the assigned Module: Week. You must then post 2
replies between 200 to 250 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned Module: Week.
For each thread, you must support your major assertions with course materials applying at least 2
citations in APA format. Each reply must incorporate course materials applying at least 1
additional citation in APA format in additional to relevant Scripture/biblical support. Any
outside sources cited must have been published within the last ten years. (Required sources
include the textbook, lecture material, and the Bible. In addition, you may also include scholarly
peer-reviewed articles.)
A federal Judiciary committee has issued a new set of model jury instructions that federal judges may use to deter jurors from using social media to research or communicate about cases. States have also adopted rules regarding what should be deemed properly gathered evidence. These new instructions caution jurors about the ways in which social media can undermine a jury’s ability to deliver an impartial verdict. However, the ability to limit what information a juror has access to is becoming increasingly more difficult to control at both the federal and the state court level. The temptation to know “the truth” can drive jurors to ignore the mandates of the Court and the Constitution as well as the rules governing the proper gathering of evidence.
Based on the course material, lecture notes, and Scripture:
· Summarize the basic rules of evidence and explain how juror use of social media to gather “evidence” is a violation of the basic rules of evidence.
· Explain the importance of gathering evidence that comports with Constitutional provisions and the rules of evidence. How does social media undermine a juror’s ability to deliver an impartial verdict?
· From a biblical perspective, what principles support adherence to established rules within our criminal justice system? Provide the relevant Scripture.
