Hearsay and Confrontation Objections (Webinar) 1 Hour CLE

WEBINAR - Online via Zoom

Friday, July 31, 2026   

11:00-12:00pm / 1 CLE Hour

CDAM Members $40 / Non-members $50

(Direct Billing Agreement partners register free.

Check with your funding unit.)

The following scholarships are made possible through the CDAM ‘Earl Spuhler Scholarship Fund’ and are available to CDAM MEMBERS ONLY:

Apply here: 2026 CDAM Scholarships Form 7-7-26.docx

Presented by Blase S. Kearney

PRESENTER PROFILE: 

Blase Kearney is a clinical professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Prior to that, he was a supervising attorney at NDS Detroit and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. He trains and consults on special litigation matters and teaches trial practice skills at UT Austin. 

DESCRIPTION: 

Michigan is rare among jurisdictions in having preliminary hearings that do not permit most hearsay, and robust Confrontation Clause jurisprudence. However, in practice, courts routinely permit hearsay that is not admissible under the rules of evidence or the Constitution. Mastery of the hearsay rules and confrontation jurisprudence is necessary for any defense lawyer to advocate forcefully to judges and prosecutors who have an overly expansive view of what the law permits.

TAKE AWAYS:

• Understand that hearsay exceptions do not cure or eliminate Confrontation Clause objections
• How to recognize and challenge the overuse of prior consistent statements
• How to understand that a declarant’s availability does not render hearsay objections meritless
• How to use hearsay to your advantage as a defense attorney