Update as of March 19 at 9 a.m.: there are a few more witnesses this morning. Closing arguments are likely to start around 10:15 to 10:30 a.m. (March 19, Courtroom 1 of federal courthouse).
Shelton v. Wozny, a federal civil rights trial, started on a Monday and it will likely end on a Monday. Closing arguments will likely occur on Monday, March 19, at 9:00 a.m., in Courtroom 1 of the federal courthouse, followed by jury instructions and jury deliberations. According to the public docket, the trial began on March 12 with 4 witness sworn in, followed 4 witnesses on Wednesday, and 2 more on Thursday.
Now it’s go-time for closing arguments. Unlike the non-argumentative opening statements, the closing argument happens after the jury has heard all of the plaintiff’s and defendant’s evidence at trial, and gives attorneys the opportunity to argue what the evidence means. Attorneys have much more latitude during closing argument than the opening statement. During the closing, they can point the jury’s attention to specific evidence and explain how it fits into their client’s theory of the case and legal claims. Attorneys can also summarize the evidence in closing arguments and urge the jury to draw inferences and make credibility findings that support a favorable verdict.
Immediately after the attorneys deliver closing arguments, District Judge McConnell will likely deliver jury instructions from the bench. In a jury trial setting, at the end of the trial, the judge explains the law, but it’s up to the jury to resolve all factual disputes and to apply their factual findings to the law. The district judge is the arbiter of the law, but the jury is the judge of the facts. Jury instructions include basic things like the burden of proof in a civil case and what circumstantial evidence means, and they also include the legal elements for the causes of action and defenses at issue in the case. After the jury instructions conclude, the jury will depart to begin deliberations in a private jury room.
Courthouse Stadium 1 (formally known as Courtroom 1) is on the third floor of the federal courthouse on Kennedy Plaza at One Exchange Terrace (directions here). Be there or be square on Monday, March 19, at 9 a.m. Allez closing argument!