It is
judged by many scholars to have been written by one who had lived as an
eye - witness through that
critical period, and who gathered the necessary information together to write this account
of that important crisis.
Consequently, for a
judge not to allow defense voir dire / cross examination questioning
of a prosecution witness before a damning exhibit is allowed into evidence, presents not only a Due Process issue but also a possible perception
of pro-prosecutorial bias
of the
judge, whether or not that bias exists, at least in the
eyes of laypeople watching the trial, when a
critical element
of a sufficiently functioning judicial system is for the public to perceive
judges as following their oaths
of office.