The judge and the reporter will appreciate your efforts. Judges are often in a hurry. They manage heavy daily calendars and would much rather have your case settle in a plea bargain than proceed to trial. They want witnesses and attorneys to get to the point quickly. The judge is supposed to be in control of the courtroom, but this is not always the case.
Some judges allow attorneys wide latitude in questioning witnesses, others are very restrictive.
You are at their mercy and you may have to field difficult or confusing questions. Recognizing the scientific ignorance of most judges and attorneys is as important as understanding their roles. Most entered law school with degrees in English, political science or history, and even those with the most intellectual firepower may not have been inside a laboratory or read much scientific literature since high school. For some of our older colleagues, this translates to before the discovery of the double helix. Many attorneys and judges not only lack an aptitude for science, but often they may be intimidated by DNA subject matter.