Lots of good teaching points in this article from the ABA Section on Litigation. The case involved a witness who testified in a civilian criminal trial while wearing his military uniform. The defendant was concerned that the uniform would lend the witness a false aura of veracity at trial. The California Fourth District Court of Appeal held the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in permitting the witness to testify in uniform. The article makes some excellent points about trial preparation, emphasizing that attorneys should be aware of the impact of witness attire on the jury's decision-making process.
My thanks to my colleague Mark Brittingham for sending a copy of the article to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment