Rule 23 Testimony of children

When a child needs to testify in a domestic violence case, the court follows the same rules used in child abuse and neglect cases. Specifically, Rules 8 and 9 from those proceedings apply here too.

This means judges have specific guidelines already in place for how to handle a child's testimony safely and fairly. These rules cover things like protecting the child from unnecessary stress and making sure the process fits a child's needs, rather than creating separate standards just for domestic violence cases.

If you have a case involving a child witness, your attorney or the court can explain exactly what Rules 8 and 9 require, since those are the rules that will actually control how the child's testimony is taken.