Leading The Witness Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Leading The Witness.

Leading The Witness (phrase): Leading the witness refers to the practice in which an attorney frames their questions to a witness in such a manner that the expected responses are suggested within the questions themselves. For example, instead of asking "Why were you waiting in the shelter?", an attorney leading the witness might ask, "It was raining then, is that why you were waiting in the shelter?" This method is usually not allowed when questioning one's own witness but is typically permitted when questioning an opposing or hostile witness.