Court’s calling or examining a witness

a. Calling. For good cause in exceptional cases, the court may call a witness on its own or at a party’s request. Each party is entitled to cross-examine the witness. b. Examining. When necessary, the court may examine a witness regardless of who calls the witness. c. Objections. A party may object to the court’s calling or examining a witness either at that time or at the next opportunity when the jury is not present. [Report 1983; November 9, 2001, effective February 15, 2002; September 28, 2016, effective January 1, 2017]