Civil Procedure Commons^™

A Trial Judge's Perspective - Promoting Justice And Fairness While Protecting Privilege, Honorable Marian Blank Horn

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Article discusses the topic of privileged communications and ethics in the courtroom. The Article offers the unique perspective of a trial judge and his courtroom interactions with lawyers and witnesses alike. It discusses cases relating to established courtroom privileges, such as marriage, attorney/client and priest/penitent, as well as qualified privileges such as the journalism privilege. Further, it discusses the potential for new or novel privileges, such as the accountant/auditor-client work product privilege and the academic peer review privilege. Finally, the Article lays out suggestions for trial judges for how to best utilize the privilege rules while simultaneously promoting fairness …