Cross-examination

What cross-examination means

In short, cross-examination is a term you will meet in court papers, rules and legal research. The definition above gives its usual meaning in American civil practice. However, the exact meaning can depend on the rule, statute or court decision that uses it. So it helps to read the term in context.

Where cross-examination comes up

The term is used across many kinds of cases. For example, you may see it in pleadings, motions and court orders. To see it in context, browse the motions and procedures library or the Learn the Law topics.

Read the source: Direct examination.

How to research the term

To research cross-examination, begin with the rule, statute or contract where the word is used. Each one can give it a slightly different meaning. Then compare that text with how courts in your area have applied it. Also check the local rules of your court, since they can add requirements. If your case is in state court, the state rules control. So start with our state procedures guide to find them. In the end, always confirm that the source you rely on is current.

You can read the current federal court rules online for free.

Related legal terms

• Court Registry Investment System: the program, administered by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, through which federal courts invest money deposited into a court's registry, for example under Fed. R. Civ. P. 67 and 28 U.S.C. § 2041. Money in the registry may be withdrawn only by order of the court (28 U.S.C. § 2042). Abbreviated CRIS.
• Creature: in legal writing, something that exists only because the law created it. Courts often call a corporation a "creature of the state" or an agency a "creature of statute," meaning it has only the powers that the law creating it gives it. For example, a federal agency can act only within the authority Congress granted.
• Credit: has several meanings.
• Creditor: a person or business to whom money or another obligation is owed.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.