United States v. Snyder
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
189 F.3d 640 (1999)
The government (plaintiff) convicted James W. Snyder (defendant) on child pornography charges based partly on the testimony of an eleven-year-old victim, Michael Doe. On cross-examination, Snyder showed that some of Michael's statements were false. Snyder asked the trial judge to order a psychological competency exam for Michael, arguing the false statements showed Michael couldn't tell truth from fiction, and that Michael's antidepressant medication might have tainted his testimony. The judge refused, and Snyder appealed his conviction to the Seventh Circuit.
Whether a child witness is presumed competent to testify absent a compelling showing that a competency examination is needed.