Evidence
Part of the common law series
Types of evidence
Testimony  · Documentary evidence
Physical evidence  · Exculpatory evidence
Relevance
Subsequent remedial measure
Character evidence  · Habit evidence
Authentication
Judicial notice  · Best evidence rule
Self-authenticating document
Ancient document
Witnesses
Competence  · Privilege
Direct examination  · Cross examination
Impeachment  · Recorded recollection
Expert witness  · Dead man statute
Hearsay (and its exceptions)
Excited utterance  · Dying declaration
Party admission  · Ancient document
Declaration against interest
Present sense impression
Learned treatise
Other areas of the common law
Contract law  · Tort law  · Property law
Wills and Trusts  · Criminal law
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A hostile witness is a witness for the opposing party or a witness who offers adverse testimony to the calling party during direct examination. A witness called by the opposing party is presumed hostile. A witness called by the direct examiner can be declared hostile by a judge, at the request of the examiner, when the witness' testimony is openly antagonistic or clearly prejudiced to the opposing party. A party examining a hostile witness may question the witness as if in cross-examination, thus permitting the use of leading questions. A hostile witness is sometimes known as an adverse witness. Image File history File links Legal portal image File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The law of evidence governs the use of testimony (eg. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ... Exculpatory evidence is the evidence favorable to the defendant in a criminal trial. ... This article needs cleanup. ... A subsequent remedial measure is a term used in the law of evidence (law) in the United States to describe an improvement or repair made to a structure following an injury caused by the condition of that structure. ... Character evidence is a term used in the law of evidence in the United States to describe any testimony or document submitted for the purpose of proving that a person acted in a particular way on a particular occasion based on the character or disposition of that person. ... Habit evidence is a term used in the law of evidence in the United States to describe any evidence submitted for the purpose of proving that a person acted in a particular way on a particular occasion based on that persons tendancy to reflexively respond to a particular situation... Authentication, in the law of evidence, is the process by which documentary evidence and other physical evidence is proven to be genuine, and not a forgery. ... Judicial Notice is a rule of evidence that allows a fact to be introduced into evidence if the truth of that fact is so notorious or well known that it is cannot be refuted. ... The best evidence rule is a rule of evidence in the United States that requires that when writings are introduced as evidence in a trial, the original writing must be produced unless the party can account satisfactorily for its absence. ... A self authenticating document, under the law of evidence in the United States is any document that can be admitted into evidence at a trial without any proof being submitted to support the claim that the document is what it appears to be. ... An ancient document, in the law of evidence, refers to both a means of authentication for a piece of documentary evidence, and an exception to the hearsay rule. ... This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... A competency (in the technical sense used in recent corporate human resources thought) is the cluster of traits (skills, abilities, habits, character traits, knowledge) a person must have in order to perform a job well. ... A privilege is an honour, or permissive activity granted by another person or even a government. ... Direct examination (also called examination in chief) is the questioning of a witness by the party who called him or her, in a trial in a court of law. ... In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by ones opponent. ... Witness impeachment, in the law of evidence, is the process of calling into question the credibility of an individual who is testifying in a trial. ... An expert witness is a witness, who by virtue of education, or profession, or experience, is believed to have special knowledge of his subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon his opinion. ... A dead man statute is a statute designed to prevent perjury in a civil case by prohibiting a witness who is an interested party from testifying about communications or transactions with a decedant, unless there is a waiver. ... Hearsay in its most general and oldest meaning is a term used in the law of evidence to describe an out of court statement offered to establish the facts asserted in that statement. ... An excited utterance, in the law of evidence, is a statement made by a person in response to a shocking event. ... A dying declaration is a term used in the law of evidence to signify that testimony that would normally be barred as hearsay may nonetheless be admitted as evidence in certain kinds of cases because it constituted the last words of a dying person. ... A party admission, in the law of evidence, is any statement made by a declarant who is a party to a lawsuit, which is offered as evidence against that party. ... An ancient document, in the law of evidence, refers to both a means of authentication for a piece of documentary evidence, and an exception to the hearsay rule. ... Hearsay in its most general and oldest meaning is a term used in the law of evidence to describe an out of court statement offered to establish the facts asserted in that statement. ... A present sense impression, in the law of evidence, is a statement made by a person that conveys their sense of the state of certain things at the time the statement was made. ... A learned treatise, in the law of evidence, is a text that is sufficiently authoritiative in its field to be admissible as evidence in a court in support of the contentions made therein. ... A contract is any legally-enforceable promise or set of promises made by one party to another and, as such, reflects the policies represented by freedom of contract. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Property law is the law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property (land as distinct from personal or moveable possessions) and in personal property, within the common law legal system. ... In the law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his property or family after death. ... The law of trusts and estates is generally considered the body of law which governs the management of personal affairs and the disposition of property of an individual in anticipation and the event of such persons incapacity or death, also known as the law of successions in civil law. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that punishes criminals for committing offences against the state. ... This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ... Direct examination (also called examination in chief) is the questioning of a witness by the party who called him or her, in a trial in a court of law. ... A judge or justice is an appointed or elected official who presides over a court. ... In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by ones opponent. ... Many questions, also known as complex question, loaded question, or plurium interrogationum (Latin, of many questions), is a logical fallacy. ...

Though the practice of declaring a witness hostile is very prevalent in television and in movies, it is far rarer in reality. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of...

External links

• Federal Rules of Evidence - Rule 611: Mode and Order of Interrogation and Presentation