I am currently writing a Complaint in an action under 42 USC 1983 for state actors in a state court. How does one insist on a trial by jury? What does one consider in determining whether or not to insist on a trial by jury?

I have not found any references in Jurisdictionary on this.

Explained in the Course, Michael. Keep studying, but know that "juries are unpredictable", and wiser litigators know (as my Course teaches) the time to WIN is BEFORE trial. If you make your record for appeal, as my Course teaches, you need not fear a biased judge and can trust a bench trial just as much as a jury trial. Further, as you will learn by going deeper in my Course, a trial that is going to involve complex technical matters may not be the best one to put before a jury of regular citizens, the majority of whom may not know how to differentiate between Avogadro's Principle and the adiabatic lapse rate. Keep studying, please ... and urge EVERYONE to get the Course.