Pitts v. Mississippi · ¶24

We disagree. At trial, to be sure, the prosecution represented that A. G. C.'s guardian believed it would be difficult for her to testify face to face with her father. App. 6a. But the prosecution expressly rejected the notion that it had “to put on any proof,” choosing to rely instead on Mississippi's mandatory “right” to screening. Id., at 6a–7a. And the trial judge proceeded to rule that the “statute . . . appears to be mandatory” and expressed concerns about “fail[ing] to follow it.” Id., at 36a. Those arguments and conclusions fall well short of the procedures and findings Coy and Craig require.

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