The testimony of a subscribing witness is not necessary to authenticate a writing unless the statute requiring attestation requires it.
This statute abolishes an outdated common law requirement. A "subscribing" or "attesting" witness is someone who signs a document (most commonly a will) to certify that they witnessed the original party sign it. Under the old rule, you were required to call that witness to authenticate the document. This statute says that is no longer necessary. A document can be authenticated using any of the other available methods, unless the specific law governing the document (most commonly, the probate code governing wills) explicitly requires the testimony of the subscribing witness.
