NMI Judiciary Completes Phase One of Model Jury Instructions Project in Collaboration with University of Iowa College of Law

The Iowa CELP team presents the results of Phase One of the Model Jury Instructions Project to members of the NMI Judiciary.

Saipan, CNMI – On May 6, law students from the University of Iowa College of Law presented the results of Phase One of the Judiciary’s Model Jury Instructions Project—an initiative launched by the NMI Supreme Court to address the long-standing absence of standardized jury instructions for the CNMI.

Jury instructions are the guidelines given by a judge to a jury before, during, and after a trial that explain the relevant laws and outline the standards the jury must use to consider evidence and reach a verdict. Through this project, the CNMI Judiciary aims to join the majority of the 50 states, which have developed their own sets of model jury instructions, providing judges, attorneys, and jurors with clear and consistent templates on applicable law in jury trials.

The Judiciary has partnered with the Community Empowerment Law Project (“CELP”), a pro-bono clinical law program at the University of Iowa that represents non-profit organizations and governmental entities on law reform-based projects. Beginning in January of 2025, a team of law students from Iowa have worked with Judiciary staff pro-bono, laying the groundwork to establish model jury instructions and related materials for use in jury trials.

“Our goal in developing a set of model jury instructions is two-fold: to enhance the fairness, clarity, and consistency of the jury trial process, and to save valuable time and resources for our courts, government, and legal professionals,” said Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro of the NMI Supreme Court. “This is a critical step forward in strengthening our judicial system.”

Over the past months, the team conducted extensive research, delivering a set of model jury instructions, annotated references, and legal memoranda analyzing local law and relevant issues. The team interviewed prosecutors, judges, and legal and language experts across multiple jurisdictions, including California, Hawaii, and Guam, and collaborated with local professionals including Judge Joseph N. Camacho, Judge Lillian A. Tenorio, Chief Public Defender Doug Hartig, Assistant Attorney General Heather Barcinas, and retired federal judge Mark W. Bennett. The final product incorporates feedback and best practices from local practitioners, as well as experts from all over the United States.

For the team of law students, it was not only an opportunity to contribute to a project with meaningful, long-term impacts, but an opportunity for personal and professional growth. Elizabeth Wiesman, a second-year law student on the team, expressed: “the project taught me the importance of collaboration in shaping the law” and her colleague, Tristen Prouse, described feeling “grateful to have played a role in strengthening a lasting partnership between Iowa Law and the Northern Mariana Islands.” Grace Jobgen, the third student on the team, said “I will carry the lessons I learned into my legal career, but these interactions also made me a better person.”

As part of Phase One, CELP delivered instructions and related materials for nine of the most common criminal charges that result in jury trials in the CNMI. The partnership with CELP was initiated and coordinated by Nathan Ford, law clerk to Associate Justice Perry B. Inos: “The Judiciary and CELP intend to continue this partnership into future semesters to expand the bank of jury instructions to cover the full array of criminal charges, and eventually civil trials as well,” said Ford.

Professor Daria Fisher Page, director of CELP, expressed appreciation that law students were trusted partners in such a groundbreaking project with the NMI Judiciary. She explained, “At a foundational level, CELP students have grappled with the challenges of synthesizing complicated law into accessible concepts and they have seen the real-world impact of their commitment to a client and the highest standards of practice. Equally important, though, this partnership has given Iowa Law students a unique opportunity to learn about the relationship between law, place, and culture, and to understand that well-informed jurors are empowered community members, as well as critical actors in the legal system.” 

2025-PR-07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2025

This press release has been prepared by court staff for the convenience of the public. For further information, contact the Supreme Court at Supreme.Court@NMIJudiciary.gov