Short answer. Rule 132, Section 4 sets a fixed four-step sequence for an individual witness: direct examination by the party who presented the witness, cross-examination by the opposing party, re-direct examination by the proponent again, and finally re-cross-examination by the opponent — in that order.
What the law says
The order in which an individual witness may be examined is as follows: (a) Direct examination by the proponent; (b) Cross-examination by the opponent; (c) Re-direct examination by the proponent; (d) Re-cross[-]examination by the opponent.
Rule 132, Section 4 — Order in the examination of an individual witness. Read the full provision →
The four stages, and who controls each one
The sequence starts with direct examination by the proponent — the party who called the witness, drawing out the testimony that supports their case. It moves to cross-examination by the opponent, who tests that testimony. It can then return to the proponent for re-direct examination, and finally to the opponent again for re-cross-examination. The order is fixed: control of the questioning alternates between the two sides in that specific sequence, not however either lawyer prefers to run it.
Why the order itself matters, not just who asks what
Each stage exists to do a distinct job in relation to what came before it. Direct examination builds the witness's account from the proponent's side. Cross-examination is the opponent's chance to probe and undermine that account. Re-direct lets the proponent respond to what surfaced on cross, and re-cross lets the opponent respond in turn to what surfaced on re-direct. Because each later stage responds to the one before it, the fixed order is what keeps the examination coherent rather than turning into an unstructured back-and-forth.
This governs one witness's own testimony
The rule addresses an individual witness — this four-stage sequence is what happens to each witness as they are called and questioned, not the overall order in which a trial unfolds or in which multiple witnesses are presented across a case. A trial with several witnesses runs this same direct-cross-redirect-recross cycle separately for each one as they take the stand.
What a party or witness should expect from this structure
Knowing this fixed order helps a witness anticipate what is coming: friendly, prepared questions on direct, adversarial testing on cross, an opportunity for their own side to clarify anything that came up during that testing on re-direct, and then one more round where the opposing side can respond to that clarification. For a party watching their own witness testify, it also explains why counsel does not simply ask every question they might want answered during the first round — some matters are deliberately saved for re-direct, in response to what the cross-examination actually raises.
Related provisions
- Rule 132, Section 4 — Order in the examination of an individual witness
- Rule 132, Section 3 — Rights and obligations of a witness
- Rule 132, Section 5 — Direct examination