What is the purpose of the prosecution's case-in-chief? Describe the sequence of events that would occur when a witness testifies during the prosecution's case-in-chief

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The prosecution's case-in-chief is the portion of the trial during which the prosecutor must establish the defendant's guilt. The prosecutor calls a witness and conduct direct examination on that witness. Using a question answer format, the prosecutor elicits testimony revealing the relevant facts that the witness knows about the case. The defense attorney should make an objection before the witness answers the question if he/she believes a question is not appropriate. The judge makes a ruling on whether the witness should answer the question after allowing the prosecutor to explain why the question should be answered. This process continues until the prosecutor is finished with the witness. The defense attorney then has the right to cross examine the witness. The prosecutor has the right to make objections during cross examination and have the judge rule on them. Re-direct follows cross examination. During re-direct the prosecutor again questions the witness. The focus is on what was said during cross examination. If the witness was impeached, the prosecutor can attempt to rehabilitate the witness. Re-direct can not be used to ask questions the prosecutor forgot to ask during direct. Following re-direct there may be re-cross if the defense has questions about what was said during re-direct. Another witness will be called once the questioning of the witness is complete. The prosecution rests its case after questioning of its last witness is complete.