CALIFORNIA EVIDENCE: CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
...Witness Credibility Evidence
......Impeachment on Cross-Examination
11 Cards On This Topic:

Testing credibility of witnesses by cross-examination.

Given D's courtroom admissions to crimes and long crim. history, it was not "reasonably possible" the jury's considering an invalid 2d degree murder conviction "materially affected" its decision to convict D of 1st degree murder.

No error in permitting the DA to challenge D's mother's credibility with evidence that D asked her in letters to facilitate illegal activities for him relating to firearms and disability benefits fraud.

Court did not err in allowing DA to impeach D's mother with evidence she stole from her employer and asking her if she passed herself off as a nurse; court did not force mother to take the 5th.

Even assuming trial ct. erred in precluding impeachment of W with evidence of child molestation, D failed to show cross-exam. would have produced significantly different impression of W's credibility.

Exploring W's probation violations re credibility raised prospect of "prolonged nitpicking"—not every restriction on D's desired method of cross-exam is a constitutional violation.

No showing of judicial bias where court considered each party's arguments, then simply made an evidentiary ruling on W's prior inconsistent statement going to credibility.

DA's attempting to elicit arrest records of witnesses was harmless error where he used prior felonies to impeach and jury would not have needed to rely on mere arrests in evaluating credibility.

After witness testified about D's religious recommitment in prison, DA could impeach with evidence of D's weapons possession.

"Have you heard?" questions.

Impeachment on cross-examination.