The Puerto Rico Supreme Court approved an updated version of the Jury Instructions Manual (Libro de Instrucciones al Jurado) through Resolution EC-2026-01, published as 2026 TSPR 97, dated September 9, 2026. The update incorporates clear language, revises instructions to align with criminal law in effect through August 2025, and adds new instructions for jury trial proceedings.
The Manual was originally approved via Resolution EC-2022-01 on March 25, 2022, which also created the Permanent Advisory Committee on Jury Instructions, attached to the Secretariat of the Judicial and Notarial Conference, tasked with continuous review to keep the Manual current. As part of that mandate, the Committee submitted an updated draft on October 3, 2025.
This draft included linguistic editing and review by the Supreme Court's Office of the Compiler and Publicist of Jurisprudence, which also ensured the integration of inclusive language techniques across the Manual's 26 chapters. After examining the draft, the Court approved the changes and ordered that the revised Manual be incorporated as part of the Resolution, stating the document uses clear language to help jurors better understand instructions.