Rule 614 Court's Calling or Examining a Witness

A judge doesn't have to sit back and just watch lawyers question witnesses. This rule allows the judge to call a witness to the stand on their own, even if neither side asked for that witness to testify. If the judge does this, both sides still get the chance to cross-examine that witness like normal.

The judge can also jump in and ask questions of any witness, no matter which side originally called them. But when there's a jury, the judge has to stay neutral. The judge can't ask questions in a way that makes it look like they favor one side over the other. The goal is to get information out without influencing how the jury sees the case.

If a lawyer disagrees with the judge calling or questioning a witness, they can object. However, they have to do this when the jury isn't in the room. This keeps the jury from hearing any conflict between the judge and the lawyers, which could affect how jurors view the witness or the case.