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
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Special to the State Gazette
With the recent issuance of Gov. Bill Lees Executive Order 70, the Tennessee Supreme Court announced provisions pertaining to court proceedings.
The Tennessee Supreme Court released the following order Tuesday morning:
On March 13, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court declared a state of emergency for the Judicial Branch of Tennessee government and activated a Continuity of Operations Plan for the courts of Tennessee. See Tenn. Const. Art. VI, § 1; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 16-3-501 to 16-3-504 (2009); Moore-Pennoyer v. State, 515 S.W.3d 271, 276-77 (Tenn. 2017); Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 49. This state of emergency constitutes a disaster for purposes of Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 49 and Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-116. The Court hereby extends the state of emergency for the Judicial Branch of Tennessee government and the Continuity of Operations Plan for the courts of Tennessee. Unless