Prosecution plays an important role in protecting children from sexual abuse. In such litigation, defense attorneys frequently attack the way children are interviewed by professionals. The attack on interviews assumed new dimensions with the New Jersey Supreme Court's 1994 decision in State v. Michaels, where the court created a procedure that allows defense attorneys to request pretrial taint hearings to challenge investigative interviews of children. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of taint hearings as well as the legal standard that should govern such hearings. The article concludes with a call to increase the number of professionals who are qualified and willing to serve as expert witnesses to defend competent interview practices.
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