NCJ Number
119336
Date Published
1989
Length
116 pages
Annotation
This discussion of 1988 State and Federal judicial decisions dealing with procedural issues related to evidence in criminal cases is directed mainly to lawyers and judges.
Abstract
Individual decisions dealt with the determination of the admissibility of evidence, the admissibility of tape recordings and transcripts of tape-recorded conversations, and the jury's acceptance of conclusive any fact that is judicially noticed. Other decisions related to the relevancy of testimony on such matters as illegal conduct or arrests, sudden unexplained wealth after the occurrence of a crime, a public opinion poll related to community attitudes toward pornography, government employees eligible to receive secret material, and the registration in the defendant's name of a vehicle used to transport illegal aliens. Further cases involved attorney-client privilege, the privilege for marital communication, and privilege on the basis of a parent-child or other familial relationships, and privilege based on a mental health counseling relationship. Additional decisions related to the competency of witnesses, opinion, scientific and expert testimony, and hearsay. 445 footnotes.