In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases - Report 2017-04

Summary

The Court authorized amended standard jury instructions concerning destructive-device threats, retail theft, retail sale of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended, revoked, or canceled license, and removed instruction 10.4 because it did not correspond to the statutory offense it purported to cover. The amendments clarify the elements and proof requirements for the affected offenses, including threat intent, retail-theft circumstances and value, drug-paraphernalia classifications, and knowledge of license status. The authorization becomes effective when the opinion becomes final, but the Court expressly declined to opine on the instructions’ legal correctness.