An oral examination is an examination in presence of the jury or tribunal which is to decide the fact or act upon it, the testimony being heard by the jury or tribunal from the lips of the witness.
Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2005
Mode of Taking the Testimony of Witnesses
Enacted 1872.
Official source: California Legislative Information. Reproduced from public-domain California statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.