When a judge "sustains" an objection during a trial, what is the expected response from the witness?

When a judge "sustains" an objection during a trial, it signifies that the judge agrees with the objection raised by one of the attorneys regarding a particular question or line of inquiry. This ruling effectively prevents the witness from responding to that specific question. The expectation in this situation is that the witness should not answer the question because it has been deemed inappropriate or inadmissible by the court.

The action of sustaining an objection serves to uphold the rules of evidence and ensures that the trial proceeds in a fair manner. When the objection is sustained, it prevents any potentially prejudicial or irrelevant information from being conveyed to the jury or the court.

The other options do not accurately represent the protocol following a sustained objection. If the witness continues speaking, provides additional details, or waits for the judge's next instruction, they may inadvertently disregard the judge's authority and the established legal procedures. Thus, the most appropriate response is indeed that the witness should not provide an answer to the sustained question.