Supreme Court of New Jersey
State, in Interest of Rr
January 31, 1979398 A.2d 76
Summary
The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that an infant witness may be sworn with a non‑traditional oath so long as the ceremony elicits a genuine commitment to tell the truth, affirmed the trial judge's competency finding under Evid. R. 17, and reversed the Appellate Division’s decision to invalidate the testimony and to condemn the appointment of the child's mother as interpreter, reinstating the delinquency adjudication. The Court emphasized trial‑court discretion in oath form and interpreter selection, applying a de novo review to the oath issue and an abuse‑of‑discretion standard to the competency and interpreter questions.