Court Opinion

ID: 9423612
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:08:26.953437+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:22:45.057440
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice White,
with whom Mr. Justice Marshall joins,
concurring.
In Alford v. United States, 282 U. S. 687, 694 (1931), the Court recognized that questions which tend merely to harass, annoy, or humiliate a witness may go beyond the bounds of proper cross-examination. I would place in the same category those inquiries which tend to en*134danger the personal safety of the witness. But in these situations, if the question asked is one that is normally permissible, the State or the witness should at the very least come forward with some showing of why the witness must be excused from answering the question. The trial judge can then ascertain the interest of the defendant in the answer and exercise an informed discretion in making his ruling. Here the State gave no reasons justifying the refusal to answer a quite usual and proper question. For this reason I join the Court’s judgment and its opinion which, as I understand it, is not inconsistent with these views. I should note in addition that although petitioner and his attorney may have known the witness in the past, it is not at all clear that either of them had ever known the witness’ real name or knew where he lived at the time of the trial.