15 CFR § 904.252 - Witnesses.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t15/s904.252"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "15 CFR § 904.252 - Witnesses."
title_number: 15
title_name: "Commerce and Foreign Trade"
section_number: "904.252"
section_name: "Witnesses."
chapter_name: "NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE"
subchapter_number: "A"
subchapter_name: "GENERAL REGULATIONS"
part_number: "904"
part_name: "CIVIL PROCEDURES"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "16 U.S.C. 1801  16 U.S.C. 1531  16 U.S.C. 1361  16 U.S.C. 3371  16 U.S.C. 1431  16 U.S.C. 6901  16 U.S.C. 773  16 U.S.C. 951  16 U.S.C. 5001  16 U.S.C. 3631  42 U.S.C. 9101  30 U.S.C. 1401  16 U.S.C. 971  16 U.S.C. 781  16 U.S.C. 2431  16 U.S.C. 972  16 U.S.C. 916  16 U.S.C. 1151  16 U.S.C. 3601  16 U.S.C. 1851 note; 15 U.S.C. 330  16 U.S.C. 2461  16 U.S.C. 5101  16 U.S.C. 1371  16 U.S.C. 3601  16 U.S.C. 1822 note, 16 U.S.C. 4001  16 U.S.C. 5501  16 U.S.C. 5601  16 U.S.C. 973  16 U.S.C. 1827a, 16 U.S.C. 7701  16 U.S.C. 7801  16 U.S.C. 1826g, 51 U.S.C. 60101  16 U.S.C. 7001  16 U.S.C. 7401  16 U.S.C. 2401  16 U.S.C. 1826k note, 1857 note, 22 U.S.C. 1980, Pub. L. 116-340, 134 Stat. 5128."
regulatory_source: "71 FR 12448, Mar. 10, 2006, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "904"
---


# 904.252 Witnesses.

(a) *Fees.* Witnesses, other than employees of a Federal agency, summoned in an administrative proceeding, including discovery, are eligible to receive the same fees and mileage as witnesses in the courts of the United States.

(b) *Witness counsel.* Any witness not a party may have personal counsel to advise him or her as to his or her rights, but such counsel may not otherwise participate in the hearing.

(c) *Witness exclusion.* Witnesses who are not parties may be excluded from the hearing room prior to the taking of their testimony. An authorized officer is considered a party for the purposes of this subsection.

(d) *Oath or affirmation.* Witnesses shall testify under oath or affirmation requiring the witness to declare that the witness will testify truthfully.

(e) *Failure or refusal to testify.* If a witness fails or refuses to testify, the failure or refusal to answer any question found by the Judge to be proper may be grounds for striking all or part of the testimony given by the witness, or any other action deemed appropriate by the Judge.

(f) *Testimony in a foreign language.* If a witness is expected to testify in a language other than the English language, the party sponsoring the witness must indicate that in its Initial Disclosures so that an interpreter can be arranged for the hearing. When available, the interpreter should be court certified under 28 U.S.C. 1827.

[71 FR 12448, Mar. 10, 2006, as amended at 87 FR 38939, June 30, 2022]