State v. Johnson (1992)

In State v. Johnson, 173 Ariz. 274, 842 P.2d 1287, 1289 (Ariz. 1992), the court held that failure to re-read preliminary instructions at the close of evidence was error. The Johnson court recognized the need to rectify the trial court's practice of not repeating jury instructions at the close of evidence. Id. "Judges must instruct juries on basic legal principles . . . following the evidence and before the commencement of deliberations . . . . even though a jury has been instructed prior to the presentation of evidence . . . ." Id.