Section 595.01 — Witness.
595.01 WITNESS. A witness is a person whose declaration under oath is received as evidence for any purpose, whether such declaration is made on oral examination, or by deposition or affidavit. History: (9808) RL s 4654
Section 595.02 — Testimony Of Witnesses.
595.02 TESTIMONY OF WITNESSES. Subdivision 1. Competency of witnesses. Every person of sufficient understanding, including a party, may testify in any action or proceeding, civil or criminal, in court or before any person who has authority to receive evidence, except as provided in this subdivision: (a) A husband cannot be examined for or against his […]
Section 595.021 — News Media; Protection Of Sources; Citation.
595.021 NEWS MEDIA; PROTECTION OF SOURCES; CITATION. Sections 595.021 to 595.025 may be cited as the “Minnesota Free Flow of Information Act.” History: 1973 c 735 s 1; 1Sp1981 c 4 art 1 s 181
Section 595.022 — Public Policy.
595.022 PUBLIC POLICY. In order to protect the public interest and the free flow of information, the news media should have the benefit of a substantial privilege not to reveal sources of information or to disclose unpublished information. To this end, the freedom of press requires protection of the confidential relationship between the news gatherer […]
Section 595.023 — Disclosure Prohibited.
595.023 DISCLOSURE PROHIBITED. Except as provided in section 595.024, no person who is or has been directly engaged in the gathering, procuring, compiling, editing, or publishing of information for the purpose of transmission, dissemination or publication to the public shall be required by any court, grand jury, agency, department or branch of the state, or […]
Section 595.024 — Exception And Procedure.
595.024 EXCEPTION AND PROCEDURE. Subdivision 1. Disclosure; application. A person seeking disclosure may apply to the district court of the county where the person employed by or associated with a news media resides, has a principal place of business or where the proceeding in which the information sought is pending. Subd. 2. Disclosure allowed; conditions. […]
Section 595.025 — Defamation.
595.025 DEFAMATION. Subdivision 1. Disclosure prohibition; applicability. The prohibition of disclosure provided in section 595.023 shall not apply in any defamation action where the person seeking disclosure can demonstrate that the identity of the source will lead to relevant evidence on the issue of actual malice. Subd. 2. Disclosure conditions. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision […]
Section 595.06 — Capacity Of Witness.
595.06 CAPACITY OF WITNESS. When a person is produced as a witness, the court may examine the person to ascertain capacity, and whether the person understands the nature and obligations of an oath, and the court may inquire of any person what peculiar ceremonies the person deems most obligatory in taking an oath. History: (9819) […]
Section 595.07 — Convicted Person As Witness.
595.07 CONVICTED PERSON AS WITNESS. Every person convicted of crime shall be a competent witness in any civil or criminal proceeding, but the conviction may be proved for the purpose of affecting the weight of the testimony, either by the record or by the convicted person’s cross-examination, upon which the convicted person shall answer any […]
Section 595.08 — Perjury; Action Against Witness.
595.08 PERJURY; ACTION AGAINST WITNESS. When it shall appear probable to a court of record, having general jurisdiction, that a person who has testified in an action or proceeding before it has committed perjury in any testimony so given, it may, by order or process for that purpose, immediately commit the person to prison, or […]