Credibility of WitnessesAttacking Or Supporting Credibility
Section § 785
Any party in a legal case, including the one who called the witness, can question or defend the reliability and trustworthiness of that witness's testimony.
Section § 786
This law states that when trying to determine if someone is telling the truth as a witness, you cannot use evidence about their character traits other than honesty or how truthful they are to argue whether or not they should be believed.
Section § 787
This law states that you can't use specific examples of a person’s behavior just to show they have a certain character trait when you're trying to question or back up a witness's honesty in court.
Section § 788
This law section explains how a witness's credibility can be challenged in court by showing they have a felony conviction. However, if the witness has received a pardon due to innocence, a certificate of rehabilitation, a dismissal of charges, or similar relief from another jurisdiction, their conviction can't be used to question their credibility. There are exceptions if the witness is currently on trial for another crime.
Section § 789
This law states that you cannot use someone's religious beliefs, or their lack of them, to challenge or support how believable they are as a witness in court.
Section § 790
This law states that you can't use evidence of a witness's good character to make them seem more believable unless someone has already introduced evidence of their bad character to challenge their credibility.
Section § 791
If a witness made a consistent statement earlier, you generally can't use that statement just to make them seem more believable now. But there are two exceptions. First, if someone brings up a previous conflicting statement to question their credibility, and the consistent one came before it, then it's allowed. Second, if there's an accusation that the witness recently made up their testimony or is biased, and the consistent statement happened before this alleged bias or motive, then you can use it.