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Procedure relative to court transcripts.

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TITLE II.
Specific Procedures for
Provosts of the Marshals of
France, Vice-bailiffs, Vice-
seneschals & lower
court Criminal Lieutenants.

[...]

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ARTICLE XXVI.

IF the Accused is subjected to torture, the report of the torture will be done by the court Reporter in the presence of a Counsellor from the Seat & the Provost.
[...]

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TITLE VI.
Information.

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ARTICLE IX.

THE deposition will be transcribed by the Clerk in the presence of the Judge, & signed by him, by the Clerk & by the Witness, if he knows how or is able to sign; if not this will be noted, & each page will be numbered & signed by the Judge, under penalty of incurred expenses, damages & dues.
[...]

ARTICLE XII.

NO insertions between the lines will be allowed, &

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the Clerk will be required to have the erasures ratified, & the notes in the margin signed by the Witness & the Judge, all subject to the same penalties.[...]

ARTICLE XV.

WE forbid Clerks from revealing the Testimonies & other secret documents of the trial, or parting with the minutes, except into the hands of our Prosecutors, or those of the Seigneurs, who will take responsibility for them, & will indicate the day & hour in the register, to remit them momentarily & at the latest within three days, under

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penalty of suspension against the Clerk, & of a one hundred livres fine, a half of it to Us, & a half to the parties.
[...]

ARTICLE XVII.

CLERKS appointed by the Officers of our Courts, will be required to remit their minutes to the Court that has appointed them, within three days following the end of the procedure; if it took place at the seat of the Jurisdiction, [...] under penalty of four hundred livres, half to Us, & half to the parties, [...]

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TITLE XIV.
Interrogations of the Accused.

[...]

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ARTICLE XII.

NO erasures nor insertions between the lines will be permitted in the minutes of the interrogations; & if the Accused makes any change to it, it will be noted at the conclusion of the interrogation.

ARTICLE XIII.

THE INTERROGATION will be read to the Accused at the conclusion of each session, and all of its pages numbered & initialled, & signed by the Judge, & by the Accused, if he wishes or is able to sign; if not his refusal will be noted: all under penalty

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of being nullified, & incurred expenses, damages & dues against the Judge.
[...]

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TITRE XV.
Re-examination & Confrontation of Witnesses.

[...]

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ARTICLE V.

WITNESSES will be re-examined [...]

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what they wish to add or diminish will be written, & a reading will be done to them of their re-examination, which will be initialled & signed on all of its pages by the Judge, & by the witness, if he is able or wishes to sign; if not his refusal will be noted.
[...]

ARTICLE VII.

THE re-examination of the witnesses will be placed in a separate book from other procedures.
[...]

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ARTICLE XIII.

THE confrontation will be inscribed in a separate quire, & each one initialled & signed by the Judge on all of its pages, by the Accused & by the witness, if they are able or wish to sign; if not the reasons for their refusals will be noted.[...]

Source: Louis XIV, "Procedure relative to court transcripts, in l'Ordonnance ... pour les matières criminelles " (: Chez les Associés, 1670).

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