People v. Arredondo, California Supreme Court, December 16, 2019
Summary: An adult witness began crying on the stand, so the court positioned a computer monitor between her and the defendant. This violated the defendant’s Confrontation rights. The court explained, “To find that an accommodation was constitutionally permissible merely because F.R. — a young adult — started crying the first time she entered the courtroom and the court took a short recess to allow her to compose herself, would give courts license to abridge the right of face-to-face confrontation almost any time a witness breaks down on the stand.”
Court Opinion: Download
Keywords: Confrontation, Limine, Accommodation, Cry