State v. Darden

The question is whether a criminal defendant’s right to cross-examine adverse witnesses is trumped by the State’s interest to avoid disclosure of a secret law enforcement surveillance location.

The facts arise out of a trial for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, during which the trial court prohibited the defendant from cross-examining a surveillance officer on the specific location of his observation post. We hold a defendant’s confrontation right to challenge the accuracy and veracity of a key witness for the State triumphs over the State’s asserted interest to…