Alienation Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Alienation, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Alienation?

v. permission seeked by attorney from the judge to go near to witness box to question the witness or display something to him. Attorneys are not allowed to hover over a witness, even when permission has been granted to approach the witness. They are expected to cross-examine the witness and leave as soon as they are finished, and maintaining a respectable distance from the witness all through the examination. Even when the permission has been granted to approach the witness, if the cross-examination is intended to be intense, adversarial, personal or intimidating in nature, it must be done from the podium; or when the witness is too young the podium is supposed to be used.