document production- A type of discovery, during the litigation process, where one party requests documents from the other party.
eyewitness- Any person who actually sees or hears an event and then testifies as to what he had seen or heard in open court.
impeach- In cross examination, a prosecutor or defense lawyer may challenge the credibility of a witness by showing that the witness has not been truthful, by establishing prior inconsistent statements of that witness or by introducing evidence which goes to the witness as biased against the defendant.
leading question- A style of questioning in which the answer is suggested by the wording of the question. Leading questions are allowed in cross-examination but generally prohibited in direct examination unless the witness is a child.
opening statement- At trial, before evidence is received, both the prosecution and the defense are allowed to tell the jury what they intend to prove over the course of the trial. The opening statement is not a time for argument, but rather a factual presentation of the case.
good cause- Another term for "just cause."
corroborate- To substantiate testimony of another witness or a party in a trial.
subpoena- A court order demanding a witness to appear in court to testify. A subpoena can also include a demand to produce documents and records at the time of trial.
testify- To give testimony in a court of law under oath in a criminal proceeding. The witness testifies under penalty of perjury. A witness is subject to direct and cross-examination by the prosecutor and defense lawyer.
testimony- The answering of questions or making of statements in a court of law under oath in a criminal proceeding. The witness testifies under penalty of perjury. A witness is subject to direct and cross-examination by the prosecutor and defense lawyer.
witness- Any person who testifies under oath at trial. There are numerous types of witnesses. Examples include eyewitnesses, expert witnesses and character witnesses.
examination- The legal questioning of a witness by an attorney. There is direct examination, cross examination, redirect examination and recross examination.
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