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Contempt of Court Act 2019

Provisions to promote and facilitate administration of justice - Provisions relating to juries

14: Offence to disclose jury deliberations

You could also call this:

"Don't share what happens in jury discussions or you can get in trouble with the law."

Illustration for Contempt of Court Act 2019

If you tell someone what was said or done during jury discussions, you can get in trouble. You do this if you share, ask for, or get information about what jury members said, thought, or voted on when they were discussing a case. This is against the law.

If you break this law, you can be punished when you are found guilty. As an individual, you could go to prison for up to 3 months or pay a fine of up to $10,000. As a company, you could pay a fine of up to $40,000.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS147576.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Courts and legal helpCrime and justice > Criminal law
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13: Jury members who investigate or research case are liable to fine, or

"Jurors who do their own research on a case can be fined up to $5,000."

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15: Exceptions to section 14, or

"When you can share jury secrets without breaking the law"

Part 2Provisions to promote and facilitate administration of justice
Provisions relating to juries

14Offence to disclose jury deliberations

  1. A person commits an offence if the person intentionally discloses, solicits, or obtains information about statements made, opinions expressed, arguments advanced, or votes cast by members of a jury in the course of their deliberations in proceedings before a court.

  2. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) is liable on conviction to,—

  3. in the case of an individual, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding $10,000; or
    1. in the case of a body corporate, a fine not exceeding $40,000.