Difference between revisions of "Cross-Examination"
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== Background == | == Background == | ||
− | Cross-examination is the moment in a trial when the defense attorney is permitted to ask questions of the prosecution's witnesses. Through cross-examination, a defense attorney can present their own evidence and develop a theory of the case using government witnesses. Cross-examination is important because it may be the only time/means for | + | Cross-examination is the moment in a trial when the defense attorney is permitted to ask questions of the prosecution's witnesses. Through cross-examination, a defense attorney can present their own evidence and develop a theory of the case using government witnesses. Cross-examination is important because it may be the only time/means for the criminal defense attorney to get before the judge facts, inferences, and impressions which are necessary to the defendant's [[theory of the case]]. |
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Direct examination and cross-examination have very different purposes and techniques. Direct examination requires the witness to tell a story. The goal of direct examination is for the criminal defender to elicit the witness's story in the witness's own words in a manner that will advance the overall theory of the case. | Direct examination and cross-examination have very different purposes and techniques. Direct examination requires the witness to tell a story. The goal of direct examination is for the criminal defender to elicit the witness's story in the witness's own words in a manner that will advance the overall theory of the case. |