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Without A Doubt, A Sharp And Radical Departure: The Minnesota Supreme Court’S Decision To Change Plain Error Review Of Unobjected-To Prosecutorial Error In State V. Ramsey, James Morrow, Joshua R. Larson
Without A Doubt, A Sharp And Radical Departure: The Minnesota Supreme Court’S Decision To Change Plain Error Review Of Unobjected-To Prosecutorial Error In State V. Ramsey, James Morrow, Joshua R. Larson
Faculty Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Minnesota's Distortion Of Rule 609, Ted Sampsell-Jones
Minnesota's Distortion Of Rule 609, Ted Sampsell-Jones
Faculty Scholarship
Rule of Evidence 609, which governs the admission of prior convictions of a witness for purposes of impeachment, occupies an important place in the day to day operation of American criminal trials. The rule is a compromise that reflects these competing values. It admits some prior convictions but not all. Crimen falsi offenses such as perjury and fraud are automatically admissible under 609(a)(2). All other felonies are analyzed under the balancing test of 609(a)(1), which allows the admission of a defendant-witness's crimes if the “probative value of admitting this evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect to the accused.” The rule seeks …