U.S. Supreme Court Allows Indirect Testimony From Children in Abuse Cases
A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington on June 15. The court ruled in a case that involved a 3-year-old Ohio boy who was deemed too young to testify.A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington on June 15. The court ruled in a case that involved a 3-year-old Ohio boy who was deemed too young to testify.Carlos Barria/Reuters
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Michele Gorman is a Newsweek political reporter, with a focus on gun policy. She previously worked at msnbc.com, where she independently produced the MSNBC original franchise, “Too Young to Die.” Michele’s work also has appeared in The Boston Globe and Williamsburg Greenpoint News+Arts, and on Boston.com. She was a production coordinator for NBC News’s Decision 2012 coverage. Michele graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism. A native of Massachusetts, she roots for the Boston Red Sox and now lives in enemy territory.
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously decided to allow indirect testimony in child abuse cases.
The case involved a 3-year-old boy in Ohio whose wounds around his left eye were visible to teachers at his day care center, according to The Columbus Dispatch. He told them upon questioning that the wounds were inflicted on him by his mother's boyfriend, later identified as Darius Clark.
Since the child was too young to testify, teachers spoke in court on his behalf. The man was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
But Ohio's Supreme Court later overturned the decision and threw out Clark's conviction because he wasn't given the right to confront his accuser, the Dispatch reported.
The justices on Thursday ruled that allowing a school official to testify about child abuse does not violate the confrontation clause in the Sixth Amendment.
