confrontation clause
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 380 U.S. 415 - Douglas v. Alabama · 1965Most cited · 3,587 citing opinions
a primary interest secured by it is the right of cross-examination; an adequate opportunity for cross-examination may satisfy the clause even in the absence of physical confrontation.
How often courts cite the case defining “confrontation clause”
Court decisions citing the opinion that defined “confrontation clause” — 3,584 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining case as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1965–1965
The primary object of the constitutional provision in question was to prevent depositions or ex parte affidavits * * * being used against the prisoner in lieu of a personal examination and cross-examination of the witness, in which the accused has an opportunity, not only of testing the recollection and sifting the conscience of the witness, but of compelling him to stand face to face with the jury in order that they may look at him, and judge by his demeanor upon the stand and the manner in which he gives his testimony whether he is worthy of belief.
primary object