Jury in Elizabeth Holmes' fraud case unsuccessfully tries to study at home

The jury deliberating Elizabeth Holmes' criminal fraud charges sent their first note to US District Judge Edward Davila Tuesday afternoon, asking whether jurors could take a 39-page document of legal instructions home with them to study more carefully.

The request, submitted just ahead of a previously scheduled one-day break in their deliberations, was swiftly rejected on the grounds that all jury deliberations must take place inside an isolated room in the San Jose, California, courthouse where the trial was held.

The relatively innocuous question caused enough of a stir to bring Holmes back to the courtroom with her parents and her partner for the first time since the jury took the case last Friday. Holmes, wearing a black dress with a blue mask, sat stoically in her usual seat at the defense table while the question was read aloud and Davila consulted with Holmes' lawyers and federal prosecutors.

If a verdict still hasn't been reached after the jurors resume deliberations Thursday, Davila and the attorneys will discuss the possibility of taking a break until Jan. 3. The jury had originally signaled it is willing to deliberate during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.