EvidenceProf Blog
Evidence of the beliefs or opinions of a witness on matters of religion is not admissible for the purpose of showing that by reason of their nature the witness's credibility is impaired or enhanced.
So, for instance, an attorney couldn't ask whether a witness is a devout Catholic to enhance her credibility. On the other side of the coin, an attorney couldn't ask whether a witness is an atheist to impair her credibility. But what about questions regarding whether a defendant had a "come to Jesus" moment after committing the crime charged? That was the question addressed by the Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee in its recent opinion in