hostile witness
Antagonistic court deponent
A hostile witness is a witness in a legal proceeding who shows antagonism toward the party that called them to testify, or whose testimony contradicts what that party expected.
Once a judge declares a witness hostile, the examining attorney may use leading questions—normally prohibited with one's own witnesses: The prosecution asked the judge to treat him as a hostile witness.
Opposing party questions witness
- impeachmentCharging officials with misconduct
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- subpoenaWrit requiring testimony
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
perjury · evidence · prosecution · defense · trial · credibility · objection · affidavit
Logically opposed to itself
- unfavorableNot in your benefit
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
- challengingHard to accomplish
- contentiousInclined toward disagreement
argumentative · combative · belligerent · confrontational · oppositional · defiant · disputatious · contrary
Avoiding direct response
- obstructiveCausing deliberate interference
- resistantWithstanding external forces
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
unresponsive · reticent · tight-lipped · noncompliant · reluctant · stubborn · intransigent · uncommunicative
Charge official with misconduct
- discreditHarm another's reputation
- inconsistentLacking steady uniformity
- unreliableNot consistently performing
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
motive · recantation · contradiction · veracity · trustworthiness · dishonesty · fabrication · memory
cross-examination
Opposing party questions witness
- impeachmentCharging officials with misconduct
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- subpoenaWrit requiring testimony
deposition · perjury · evidence · prosecution · defense · trial · credibility · objection · affidavit · leading questions
contradictory
Logically opposed to itself
- unfavorableNot in your benefit
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
- challengingHard to accomplish
contentious · argumentative · combative · belligerent · confrontational · oppositional · defiant · disputatious · contrary · disagreeable
evasive
Avoiding direct response
- obstructiveCausing deliberate interference
- resistantWithstanding external forces
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
unyielding · unresponsive · reticent · tight-lipped · noncompliant · reluctant · stubborn · intransigent · uncommunicative · stonewalling
impeach
Charge official with misconduct
- discreditHarm another's reputation
- inconsistentLacking steady uniformity
- unreliableNot consistently performing
bias · motive · recantation · contradiction · veracity · trustworthiness · dishonesty · fabrication · memory · accuracy
- courtroom expressionsobjection, sustained, overruled, all rise, guilty
- courtroom dramaobjection, mistrial, confession, closing argument, opening statement
- courtroom termsoath, judge, trial, jury, verdict
- witnessestestifier, deponent, affiant, attestor, corroborator
- court rolesjudge, juror, plaintiff, defendant, prosecutor
- trial tacticsobjection, cross-examination, opening statement, closing argument, jury selection
hostile witnessfriendly witness
Testifier aiding questioning attorney
witness, hostile, hostility, witnessed, eyewitness, witnesses, witnessing, hostilely