Against the use of dictionaries and other extraneous materials

[Paul Mackin]

On Apr 29, 2006, at 7:33 PM, jd wrote:

> I'm not sure I entirely understand why she wouldn't allow them a
> dictionary...  is it just because of the fact that if they need a
> dictionary it goes beyond the case the lawyer made?

The word the juror(s) wanted clarified was "aggravating" as in  
"aggravating factors."

The word appeared in the judge's instructions to the jurors.



>
> And I would agree that a dictionary isn't bad, and that a thesaurus is
> pretty bad.  I think they can sometimes come in helpful if you have a
> general idea of the word you want, know a synonym, but can't think of
> that particular word to save your life (i.e. a brain fart).  But
> generally they are useless as far as I am concerned...  you miss the
> nuances of the language.
>