Rule 11-614 Court’s calling or examining a witness.

A judge has the power to call their own witness to testify, even if neither side asked for that person to be in court. If the judge does this, both sides still get the chance to cross-examine that witness like normal.

The judge can also ask questions to any witness during the trial, no matter which side originally called that witness to the stand. This means the judge is not limited to just listening. The judge can jump in and ask questions to get information they think is needed.

If a lawyer disagrees with the judge calling or questioning a witness, they can speak up right away. If they don't want to object in front of the jury, they can wait and raise the objection later when the jury has left the room. This gives lawyers a way to challenge the judge's actions without making the jury think there is a conflict with the judge.