“Answer yes or no only, understand?”
This is an instruction I come across more frequently in the last five years than the previous twenty. I come across it in court and in advocacy tutorials and training. The instruction to the opposing witness is usually as follows: “I will be asking you questions. Just answer yes or no (or agree or disagree) only; that is all. If you have any explanation, your lawyer will ask you later during re-examination. Understand?” When my …