What is "material witnesses"

Usage examples of "material witnesses".

Maitre Dorange, defending Helene, asked for a remand to a later session on the ground that some of his material witnesses were unavailable owing to the political situation.

So he claims these two are material witnesses and diverts attention to them.

Oddly enough the total number of these material witnesses to the tragedy was just thirteen, and I wondered if they had noticed the fact.

Basically, Bobby, I can't keep the two of you holed up like this as material witnesses when you didn't see anything in the first place.

I could probably get a judge to agree to holding them as material witnesses.

By the time they sorted through it all and got around to questioning their material witnesses, the material witnesses had disappeared without a trace.

I ain't getting paid to take no shit off a prick-tease, and whilst we prefer to keep you material witnesses comfortable as well as safe, there's nothing in the department rules preventing us from holding you across town in our Federal House of Detention, locked up with nobody to sass but a tough old matron who's seen and heard it all.

Police departments spell bureaucracy better than most institutions, and allowing material witnesses to flee beyond Russia’.

But you can hold them as material witnesses until I get around to them.

I was given a special assignment: check out all the psycho confessors that were being held without bail as material witnesses.

If we are taken in custody as material witnesses, by either you or the District Attorney, we'll stand mute.

I can cite a dozen cases around the country where material witnesses were allowed to testify under special circumstances.