Read the first paragraph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_instructions#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_instructions#United_State... S

Read the first paragraph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_instructions#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_instructions#United_State... Summarized: Under the American judicial system, juries are often the trier of fact when they serve in a trial. In other words, it is their job to sort through disputed accounts presented in evidence. The judge decides questions of law, meaning he or she decides how the law applies to a given set of facts. The jury instructions provide something of a flow chart on what verdict jurors should deliver based on what they determine to be true. Often they are much more complex, although certain elements frequently recur. For instance, if a criminal defendant chooses not to testify, the jury will be often be instructed not to draw any negative conclusions from that decision.