Supreme Court Hearing

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a question of evidence: should statements such as those made during 911 calls for help be considered “testimony,” and thus subject to Constitutional protections of confronting the person in court, and allowing them to be cross-examined. Right now, several states allow 911 logging tapes to be entered into evidence, allowing a victim’s or witness’s original remarks to a dispatcher to be entered into evidence, even if that person never appears in court. In the specific case, a King County (Wash.) domestic violence victim never appeared in court, but a jury convicted her ex-boyfriend based partially on the statements she made during her 911 call. The court is expected to issue a decision this summer. Download (pdf) the oral arguments from the court hearing.