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United States v. Wallace Ward
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1993) | 989 F.2d 1015; 1992 WL 465156
TL;DR: A court's refusal to allow a criminal defendant to testify under a modified oath reflecting his sincere, unconventional beliefs violated his constitutional rights. The defendant's conviction was reversed because the court prioritized tradition over the defendant's right to free exercise and to testify.
Legal Significance: A court must accommodate a defendant's sincerely held, unconventional beliefs regarding the form of a witness oath, balancing the flexibility of FRE 603 with the defendant's constitutional rights to free exercise of religion and to testify in their own defense.