Fidelity-Phenix Fire Ins. Co. of New York v. Murphy

Is a person convicted of perjury or subornation of perjury in the District Court of the United States sitting in Alabama a competent witness in the courts of Alabama?

Prior to 1883 the common law touching the competency of witnesses convicted of crime prevailed in this state. Under such common law all persons convicted of crime of the class broadly designated as crimen falsi were rendered incompetent to testify in a court of justice. Moore v. State, 12 Ala. App. 243,67 So. 789.

In Sylvester v. State, 71 Ala. 17, 23, the rule was applied to a witness convicted of petit larceny by a justice of…