What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA
Question: If the following situation were to happen today, would there be grounds for the defense to object to the line of questions and would you expect the judge to uphold the objection?
Oh, and for those who are concerned that this is a homework assignment, let me attempt to assure you that it isn't. I'm long out of school. It is just at times the McCarthy type of red hunting bothers me.
Heard on National Public Radio today, during the Red Scare of the 1950s Miriam Moskowitz was on trial for conspiracy to lie to a grand jury. She chose to not testify in her own defense because she was afraid that the prosecutor would ask whether she had ever been a member of the Communist Party and then when she said 'yes' the prosecutor would have asked, 'Name some people you knew in the Communist Party,' She did not want to name names but believed if she refused she would be held in contempt of court and get even more jail time.
As being a member of the Communist Party was not the crime she was on trial for and I know of no law that requires a person to name names in this sort of situation, is there a valid objection that a current lawyer could raise to stop the line of questioning?
Question: If the following situation were to happen today, would there be grounds for the defense to object to the line of questions and would you expect the judge to uphold the objection?
Oh, and for those who are concerned that this is a homework assignment, let me attempt to assure you that it isn't. I'm long out of school. It is just at times the McCarthy type of red hunting bothers me.
Heard on National Public Radio today, during the Red Scare of the 1950s Miriam Moskowitz was on trial for conspiracy to lie to a grand jury. She chose to not testify in her own defense because she was afraid that the prosecutor would ask whether she had ever been a member of the Communist Party and then when she said 'yes' the prosecutor would have asked, 'Name some people you knew in the Communist Party,' She did not want to name names but believed if she refused she would be held in contempt of court and get even more jail time.
As being a member of the Communist Party was not the crime she was on trial for and I know of no law that requires a person to name names in this sort of situation, is there a valid objection that a current lawyer could raise to stop the line of questioning?
