Montana Code 46-10-202. Presentation of evidence
46-10-202. Presentation of evidence. (1) The defendant may not enter a plea. The judge shall hear the evidence without unnecessary delay. All witnesses must be examined in the presence of the defendant. The defendant may cross-examine witnesses against the defendant and may introduce evidence in the defendant’s own behalf. For purposes of this section, a preliminary examination conducted by the use of two-way electronic audio-video communication that allows all of the participants to be observed and heard by all other participants and that allows the defendant to cross-examine witnesses is considered to be an examination of a witness in the presence of the defendant. Two-way electronic audio-video communication may not be used unless the defendant’s counsel is physically present with the defendant, unless this requirement is waived by the defendant.
Terms Used In Montana Code 46-10-202
- Court: means a place where justice is judicially administered and includes the judge of the court. See Montana Code 46-1-202
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Judge: means a person who is vested by law with the power to perform judicial functions. See Montana Code 46-1-202
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- Preliminary examination: means a hearing before a judge for the purpose of determining if there is probable cause to believe a felony has been committed by the defendant. See Montana Code 46-1-202
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Statement: means :
(a)a writing signed or otherwise adopted or approved by a person;
(b)a video or audio recording of a person's communications or a transcript of the communications; and
(c)a writing containing a summary of a person's oral communications or admissions. See Montana Code 46-1-202
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- Witness: means a person whose testimony is desired in a proceeding or investigation by a grand jury or in a criminal action, prosecution, or proceeding. See Montana Code 46-1-202
(2)During the examination of a witness or when the defendant is making a statement or testifying, the judge may, and on the request of the defendant or state shall, exclude all other witnesses. The judge may also cause the witnesses to be kept separate and to be prevented from communicating with each other until all are examined.
(3)An objection to evidence on the ground that it has been acquired by unlawful means is not properly made at the preliminary examination. Motions to suppress must be made to the trial court as provided in 46-13-302.
(4)For purposes of a hearing under this chapter, a defendant may, in the discretion of the court, appear before the court either by physical appearance or by two-way electronic audio-video communication. The audio-video communication must operate so that the defendant and the judge can see each other simultaneously and converse with each other, so that the defendant and the defendant’s counsel, if any, can communicate privately, and so that the defendant and the defendant’s counsel are both physically present in the same place during the two-way electronic audio-video communication. The defendant may waive the requirement that counsel be in the defendant’s physical presence during the two-way electronic audio-video communication. A judge may order a defendant’s physical appearance in court for a preliminary examination.