CALIFORNIA EVIDENCE: CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
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Hearsay
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Confrontation
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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.