Sidebar: repeated questioning

📄 Sidebar: repeated questioning — Wednesday, February 8, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\8\SIDEBAR-REPEATED-QUESTIONING.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 15 of 167

◀ Redirect examination of Louis Karpf (part 3) Redirect examination of Louis Karpf (part 4) ▶

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 • Utterances: 8

Judge Ito called counsel to the sidebar to put a stop to repetitive questioning about a witness's time recollection. The witness had stated four times that his best recollection was 10:50, and both Marcia Clark and Johnnie Cochran quickly agreed to move on.

# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD AT THE BENCH:)

# 2 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. WE ARE OVER AT THE SIDE BAR. MARCIA, THIS GUY HAS SAID, HEY, MY BEST RECOLLECTION IS 10:50. HE SAID THIS FOUR TIMES NOW. JOHNNIE HAS GOT HIM TO SAY, YEAH, I TOLD THE POLICE IT WAS SOMETIME BETWEEN 10:50 AND 11:00. HE SAID FOUR TIMES NOW MY BEST RECOLLECTION NOW IS 10:50. HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO GO OVER THIS? JUST A QUESTION.

# 3 MS. CLARK:

YOU ARE RIGHT.

# 4 MR. COCHRAN:

YOU ARE RIGHT. THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

KEY QUOTE

# 5 MS. CLARK:

OKAY.

# 6 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU. LET'S SIT DOWN NOW.

# 7 MS. CLARK:

OKAY.

# 8 THE COURT:

OKAY.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Lance A. Ito

HE SAID FOUR TIMES NOW MY BEST RECOLLECTION NOW IS 10:50. HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO GO OVER THIS? JUST A QUESTION.

Judge directly calling out redundant examination — rare candor that prompted immediate agreement from both sides.

Johnnie Cochran

YOU ARE RIGHT. THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. LET'S SIT DOWN NOW.

Cochran's quick capitulation suggests he had already accomplished his goal — locking in the 10:50 to 11:00 window on the record.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Lance A. Ito•Johnnie Cochran•Marcia Clark

Judge called sidebar to halt repetitive questioning about a witness's time estimate; both attorneys agreed without resistance.

collegial

Light Moments (1)

Johnnie Cochran

Cochran's chipper 'LET'S SIT DOWN NOW' after agreeing with the judge reads as satisfied — he got what he needed from the witness already.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 4731 • 8 utterances

Criminal Trial

Department 103