The Texas Supreme Court recently approved amendments to the Texas Rules of Evidence, which took effect April 1. The primary stated purpose of the amendments is to restyle the rules to make them more easily understood and to make style and terminology consistent throughout.
Rule 613, governing the impeachment of witnesses with prior statements, is one of only two rules to be substantively amended. As amended, rule 613 relaxes the foundational predicate for impeaching a witness with a prior statement and moves the practice in Texas closer to the practice in federal court. Significant differences remain, however between the practice in Texas and federal courts.
