CALIFORNIA EVIDENCE: CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
...Hearsay
......Confrontation
.........Criminal-State Cases
............Nondisclosure of Witness' Identifying Info
5 Cards On This Topic:
  • Court may deny or restrict disclosure of witnesses' names for good cause, which is restricted by statute to threats, loss of evidence, or compromise of investigations.
  • Trial court did not err in making nondisclosure order protecting Ws' identifying info where MM may have ordered one of the murders and posed an extreme danger to Ws.
  • Record justified pretrial W nondisclosure order where Mexican Mafia ordered one of the murders, posed an extreme danger to Ws, had an excellent intelligence network, and approved W kill contracts; no confrontation violation.
  • To the extent the DA, at Ws' request, attended interviews conducted by defense counsel, there was no violation of work product privilege; Ws' attendance not ordered.
  • Order authorizing DA to permanently withhold identity of Ws from defense, before trial and w/out regard to evidence, improper, although court free to fashion more limited order.