The Right of Confrontation: What Next?

There is a universal agreement that the right of an accused “to be confronted by witnesses against him,” was not intended by its drafters to be absolute and complete, but was meant to be qualified by certain limitations serving the necessities of proof. This article discusses an accused’s right to confront the witnesses against him. It provides a historical summary of the right to confront—beginning with colonial jurisprudence. Lastly, the author presents a restatement of the right to confront and suggests that the rules of evidence in criminal trials may be in for a comprehensive overhaul.