Whether a defendant's Sixth Amendment confrontation rights are violated when a trial court bars all cross-examination about events that concededly took place and may have provided the witness an incentive to shade or fabricate his testimony in the Government's favor

QUESTION PRESENTED Petitioners were indicted on drug distribution conspiracy charges. Pretrial, the Government discovered child pornography created by its star witness—the charged conspiracy’s leader—on the witness’s smartphone. The evidence also showed the witness committing criminal sexual conduct against the underage girl. Petitioners sought to cross-examine the witness regarding the child pornography and criminal sexual conduct to show that the witness had an additional incentive to favor the Government in his cooperation and testimony— beyond the deal he received in the drug conspiracy case. The district court barred any references to the child pornography and criminal sexual assault on crossexamination at trial, and the jury convicted Petitioners. The question presented is: Whether a defendant’s Sixth Amendment confrontation rights are violated when a trial court bars all cross-examination about events that concededly took place and may have provided the witness an incentive to shade or fabricate his testimony in the Government’s favor.