Frequently Asked Questions

CACI (Pronounced "Casey") is the name of the Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions, the official civil jury instructions and verdict forms originally approved by the council on July 16, 2003. "CACI" means "California Civil Instructions."

The Judicial Council has not mandated use of CACI to the exclusion of other jury instructions. However, under rule (2.1050) of the California Rules of Court, the CACI instructions are designated as “the official instructions for use in the state of California.” The rule further states that use of the new instructions is “strongly encouraged” and they are recommended for use unless a judge “finds that a different instruction would more accurately state the law and be understood by jurors.” Rule (2.1050(a), (f).) So CACI instructions are clearly preferred, and there is an affirmative burden to make a legal case for using a non-CACI instruction if there is a CACI instruction on the subject.

Special instructions may be proposed under Code of Civil Procedure § 609, but they must conform to the format requirements of rule (2.1055). If there is no CACI instruction on a subject on which the trial judge determines that the jury should be instructed, or if a CACI instruction cannot be modified to submit the issue properly, another instruction may be given on that subject. The instruction should be accurate, brief, understandable, impartial, and free from argument. Rule (2.1050(f).)

In 1996 the Blue Ribbon Commission on Jury System Improvement concluded "jury instructions as presently given in California and elsewhere are, on occasion, simply impenetrable to the ordinary juror." The commission recommended that jury instructions be redrafted in more understandable language. In response, the Judicial Council created the Task Force on Jury Instructions in 1997, and directed that it draft comprehensive, legally accurate jury instructions that are readily understood by the average juror.

No, the CACI instructions do not change the law. In drafting the new instructions, the Task Force was charged with accurately stating existing law in a way that is understandable to the average juror. The articulation and interpretation of California law remains within the purview of the Legislature and courts of review. Rule (2.1050(b).)

BAJI no longer is officially approved by state court rules. Los Angeles Superior Court's BAJI Committee has disbanded.

• Preliminary instructions
• Evidence instructions
• Contracts
• Torts
• Employment relations
• Statutory actions, including
  • FELA
  • Civil rights
  • Elder abuse
  • Consumer warranty
  • Unfair Practices Act
  • Cartwright Act
  • Lanterman Petris Short Conservatorships
  • Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act
• Conspiracy
• Vicarious responsibility
• Equitable indemnity
• Damages
• Unlawful Detainer
• Concluding instructions and general verdicts

Yes, CACI cover the topics that appear in BAJI, plus other subjects that are not covered, such as antitrust, federal civil rights, lemon law, and the Family Rights Act.

A correlation table that compares the two sets of instructions as of 2010 can be viewed online here. Tables of related instructions are no longer being created.

They took effect on September 1, 2003.

The full cite should be to "Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (year)". The short cite to particular instructions should be to "CACI No. ____."

Yes, starting in 2000, draft versions of the new instructions were circulated annually to the legal community for public comment and were posted on the court's public website. The 18-member civil subcommittee of the Task Force on Jury Instructions carefully reviewed the comments, which were the basis for many revisions.

Yes, the official publisher of the Judicial Council jury instructions, LexisNexis™ Matthew Bender®, has published print volumes of the new instructions, including tables of cases and statutes, and an index. Other publishers also offer CACI in print and online. The text of the CACI instructions is also available on the California Courts website.

The Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions is charged with maintaining and updating CACI, and submits its recommendations to the Judicial Council for approval at least twice each calendar year. The committee works with staff from the Legal Services office of the Judicial Council, and considers suggestions for revising an instruction or creating new instructions. Proposed new instructions and revisions to existing instructions are distributed for public comment before being submitted to the Judicial Council for approval. Rules 2.1050(e) and 2.1058.

The Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions welcomes comments. Email comments to civiljuryinstructions@jud.ca.gov.

Or you may send comments to:

Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions
Attention Eric Long
c/o Judicial Council of California
Legal Services
455 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102-3588

Questions or suggestions can be emailed to civiljuryinstructions@jud.ca.gov. 

Information on publications or products can be directed to:

Official Publisher, Lexis Nexis
Email: caljury@lexisnexis.com