[Alberta's Child]

What's the difference between bringing written quotations from the Bible into the deliberations and quoting the same text from memory?

[Steve_Seattle]

"What's the difference between bringing written quotations from the Bible into the deliberations and quoting the same text from memory?"

The difference is that the law prohibits one and not the other. It would be impossible to prohibit people from bringing their beliefs and life experiences into the deliberation room, but the prohibition of outside materials is to limit the jury's deliberations to the evidence presented in court. The jury is not allowed to introduce new evidence into the trial, and outside materials are regarded as new evidence. This is a very old principle in our legal system, and is intended to protect the integrity of the process.

[expatguy]

There is no difference