Which rule governs the disclosure of witness statements?

• A. Rule 16
• B. Brady v. Maryland
• C. Giglio
• D. Jencks Act

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is how witness statements are shared for cross-examination. The Jencks Act requires the government to produce a witness’s prior statements after that witness has testified, so the defense can use those statements to test credibility and consistency during cross-examination. This is a focused rule about post-testimony production of statements that relate to what the witness testified about, and it isn’t about pretrial discovery or about exculpatory or impeachment material in general.

Brady v. Maryland deals with ensuring favorable evidence for the defense and is not specifically about the disclosure of witness statements. Giglio extends Brady to impeachment-related statements but still centers on impeachment material rather than the broader production of a witness’s prior statements after testimony. Rule 16 covers overall pretrial discovery, but Jencks is the specific rule that governs the post-testimony disclosure of witness statements, making it the correct rule in this context.