Summary of changes
Rule 615 — Excluding witnesses; Preventing an Excluded Witness's Access to Trial Testimony
The text as it stood in the last Manual for Courts-Martial edition beside the current text, provision by provision, with every recorded amendment and the authority behind it — the whole Rule in one view.
0 amended
6 added
0 removed
3 unchanged
9 authority-backed edits · recorded
2026-07-01 – 2026-07-01
Authorities behind these changes
- 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence · FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01 · 9 changes
Showing changed provisions only.
Rule heading
Rule 615
amended
Version history
Original text
Rule 615. Excluding witnesses
Current text
Rule 615. Excluding witnesses; Preventing an Excluded Witness's Access to Trial Testimony
All changes since the original (removed / added)
Rule 615. Excluding witnesseswitnesses; Preventing an Excluded Witness's Access to Trial Testimony
Step-by-step: 1 recorded edit
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v2 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
Rule 615. Excluding |
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Provisions
615(a)
added since original
Version history
Original text
Not in the original text — this provision was added later.
Current text
Excluding Witnesses.
At a party's request, the court must order witnesses excluded from the courtroom so that they cannot hear other witnesses' testimony. Or the court may do so on its own. But this rule does not authorize excluding:
All changes since the original (removed / added)
Excluding Witnesses.
At a party's request, the court must order witnesses excluded from the courtroom so that they cannot hear other witnesses' testimony. Or the court may do so on its own. But this rule does not authorize excluding:
At a party's request, the court must order witnesses excluded from the courtroom so that they cannot hear other witnesses' testimony. Or the court may do so on its own. But this rule does not authorize excluding:
Step-by-step: 1 recorded edit
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
Excluding Witnesses. At a party's request, the court must order witnesses excluded from the courtroom so that they cannot hear other witnesses' testimony. Or the court may do so on its own. But this rule does not authorize excluding: |
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615(1)
added since original
Version history
Original text
Not in the original text — this provision was added later.
Current text
a party who is a natural person;
All changes since the original (removed / added)
a party who is a natural person;
Step-by-step: 1 recorded edit
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
a party who is a natural person; |
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615(2)
added since original
Version history
Original text
Not in the original text — this provision was added later.
Current text
one officer or employee of a party that is not a natural person if that officer or employee has been designated as the party's representative by its attorney;
All changes since the original (removed / added)
one officer or employee of a party that is not a natural person if that officer or employee has been designated as the party's representative by its attorney;
Step-by-step: 1 recorded edit
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
one officer or employee of a party that is not a natural person if that officer or employee has been designated as the party's representative by its attorney; |
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615(3)
added since original
Version history
Original text
Not in the original text — this provision was added later.
Current text
any person whose presence a party shows to be essential to presenting the party's claim or defense; or
All changes since the original (removed / added)
any person whose presence a party shows to be essential to presenting the party's claim or defense; or
Step-by-step: 2 recorded edits
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
any person whose presence a party shows to be essential to presenting the party's claim or defense; or |
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| v2 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
615(4)
added since original
Version history
Original text
Not in the original text — this provision was added later.
Current text
a person authorized by statute to be present.
All changes since the original (removed / added)
a person authorized by statute to be present.
Step-by-step: 1 recorded edit
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
a person authorized by statute to be present. |
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615(b)
added since original
Version history
Original text
Not in the original text — this provision was added later.
Current text
Additional Orders to Prevent Disclosing and Accessing Testimony.
An order under (a) operates only to exclude witnesses from the courtroom. But the court may also, by order:
All changes since the original (removed / added)
Additional Orders to Prevent Disclosing and Accessing Testimony.
An order under (a) operates only to exclude witnesses from the courtroom. But the court may also, by order:
An order under (a) operates only to exclude witnesses from the courtroom. But the court may also, by order:
Step-by-step: 1 recorded edit
| Version | Date | Authority | Note | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | 2026-07-01 | 2023 Amendments to Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE amendment, eff. 2025-06-01) | admin | |
Additional Orders to Prevent Disclosing and Accessing Testimony. An order under (a) operates only to exclude witnesses from the courtroom. But the court may also, by order: |
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“Original text” is the state captured the first time a provision was edited under change tracking — i.e. the text as published in the last Manual for Courts-Martial edition. Provisions edited without being “marked as changed” (typos, formatting) are not recorded here; see the recent revisions feed and the site-wide changes log.