New Jersey Rules of Evidence 603

N.J.R.E. 603 requires that witnesses be sworn or affirmed, but "neither that rule nor any other specifies any particular form to which an oath must adhere." State v. Caraballo, 330 N.J. Super. 545, 554, 750 A.2d 177 (App.Div.2000). The rule was intended to validate any oath ceremony acceptable at common law. Id. (citing State In Interest of R.R., 79 N.J. 97, 108, 398 A.2d 76 (1979)). Any ceremony that invokes the commitment to speak the truth on pain of future punishment is an acceptable common law oath. R.R., supra, 79 N.J. at 111, 398 A.2d 76. Further, a trial judge is vested with the discretion to tailor the oath to accommodate a child-witness. Ibid.