United States v. Ward
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
989 F.2d 1015 (9th Cir. 1993)
Relevant factsFree
Wallace Ward (defendant), representing himself in a tax-evasion prosecution, asked to swear an alternate witness oath substituting "fully integrated Honesty" for "truth," which the magistrate and district court denied before trial. At trial, Ward again sought to use his preferred oath, or alternatively to take both the traditional and his alternate oath, but the court refused. Ward did not testify or call witnesses and was convicted on all charges.
IssueFree
Whether the form of the oath taken by a witness prior to testifying must be crafted in a way that is meaningful to the particular witness.