Legal Question in Family Law in Florida
I am 16 years old and I want to testify in my case to defend myself and my beliefs on my school and life. Do I legally have the right to testify or is it up to the judge only?
1 Answer from Attorneys
It's up to the judge to allow you to testify. Most of the time, judges really don't care what teenagers have to say. The point of being a kid (sorry for the use of the term) is that your opinions really don't matter on your beliefs and your life until you are 18. Until then, your parents get to make those decisions for you, so judges would much rather hear from parents than kids. It may not seem fair, and there are good arguments that other cultures define legal maturity at 12 or 15 or 16 or whenever, but our culture and our state's constitution say 18, so that's where we've arbitrarily drawn the line.
You may get to talk to the judge--it does happen sometimes--but you shouldn't get your hopes up.