Final answer:
The duty to correct false testimony extends indefinitely, and is a persistent ethical obligation to ensure justice, applicable to witnesses including public officials. The Supreme Court recognizes rights that mandate truthfulness and the rectification of errors in legal proceedings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The duty to rectify false testimony lasts indefinitely, as the ethical obligation to correct a false statement in court persists until the error is addressed. This principle holds irrespective of statutory limitations, due to the potential ongoing effects of such testimony on legal proceedings.
Whether in ancient times as outlined in the Lex Julia, considering the rights outlined by the constitutional guarantees against defamation with "actual malice", or reflecting the practices of trials such as those reported by Plato and Xenophon, the duty to correct a false statement is paramount to justice.
In modern legal systems, if a witness, including a public official, discovers that their testimony is false, they are usually under a continuous duty to correct it. The Supreme Court has recognized various rights and protections for witnesses and defendants, including the right against self-incrimination, which establishes a broad precedent for the expectations of truthfulness and the rectification of false statements in the judicial system.