Can a Witness Wear a Veil on the Stand?
A tough case forces a choice between the right to confront one’s accuser in a public trial and the free exercise of religion.
The Constitution guarantees public trial by jury, affords defendants an opportunity to confront witnesses testifying against them, and protects the free exercise of religion.
What happens when those rights are in conflict?
On a winter night in 2009, Davina Sparks was sitting in a car with her boyfriend and her 2-year-old daughter when a man approached the passenger-side window. Upon recognizing the man, the boyfriend got out of the car. Suddenly, another man emerged from behind a van and shot the boyfriend nine times. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby Philadelphia hospital.
Sparks escaped. Then she found two police officers and joined them in a drive
