What is impeachment of a witness, and what are common methods of impeachment?

• A. Challenging credibility by cross-examination alone.
• B. Questioning a witness about competence.
• C. Discrediting a witness by presenting contradictory testimony.
• D. Impeachment of a witness, to challenge credibility; methods include bias, prior inconsistent statements, prior convictions, and unreliability.

Answer: (D)

Impeachment of a witness means challenging the credibility of what the witness says, not proving the facts they describe. The aim is to cast doubt on whether the testimony is trustworthy so the jury can weigh it accordingly. Common methods include showing bias or interest that could color their testimony; introducing prior inconsistent statements to highlight contradictions with earlier accounts; presenting evidence of prior convictions, typically for crimes involving dishonesty or truthfulness; and pointing to unreliability due to memory, perception, or other impairments. These tools together address how believable the witness is, rather than just what they assert. Cross-examination can be used to uncover impeachment, but it isn’t the only path, and credibility challenges aren’t limited to questioning competence or to presenting contradictory testimony alone.