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A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jury, before an administrative tribunal, before a deposition officer, or in a variety of other legal proceedings. A subpoena is a legal document that commands a person to appear at a proceeding.
In American criminal law, a material witness is a person with information alleged to be material concerning a criminal proceeding. The authority to detain material witnesses dates to the First Judiciary Act of 1789, but the Bail Reform Act of 1984 most recently amended the text of the statute, and it is now codified at 18 U.S.C. § 3144.
Frequently, the most desired witness (the deponent) is an opposite party to the action. In that instance, legal notice may be given to that person's attorney, and a subpoena is not required. However, if the witness is not a party to the lawsuit (a third party) or is reluctant to testify, then a subpoena must be served on that party. [13]
Voir dire (/ ˈ v w ɑːr d ɪər /; often / v ɔɪ r d aɪər /; from an Anglo-Norman term in common law meaning "to speak the truth") is a legal term for procedures during a trial that help a judge decide certain issues: Prospective jurors are questioned to decide whether they can be fair and impartial.
An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as an expert.
The grant of immunity impairs the witness's right to invoke the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as a legal basis for refusing to testify. Per 18 U.S.C. § 6002, a witness who has been granted immunity but refuses to offer testimony to a federal grand jury may be held in contempt.
When a witness is asked a question, the opposing attorney can raise an objection, which is a legal move to disallow or prevent an improper question to others, preferably before the witness answers, and mentioning one of the standard reasons, including: argumentative; asked and answered; best evidence rule; calls for speculation; calls for a ...
In United States criminal law, an outcry witness is the person who first hears an allegation of abuse made by a child or another victim of abuse or sexual crime. [1] The witness is legally obligated to report the abuse, and may be called upon during the trial proceedings.