Opinion ID: 1452933
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Judgment of Conviction Used for Impeachment

Text: In every instance where a witness is sought to be impeached, the only issue that arises is whether the witness is telling the truth. It is character and reputation for truth and veracity, not any other character trait, that is in issue. Therefore, any evidence adduced on this issue, in order to be relevant at all, must go to the issue of truth and veracity. We think that there are a great many criminal offenses the conviction of which has no bearing whatsoever upon the witness' propensity for lying or truth-telling, and that such convictions ought not to be admitted for purposes of impeachment. Gordon v. United States, 127 U.S.App.D.C. 343, 383 F.2d 936, 940 (1967); Brown v. United States, 125 U.S.App.D.C. 220, 370 F.2d 242 (1966); Gertz v. Fitchburg R.R. Co., 137 Mass. 77, 78 (1884); Nelson v. Seiler, 154 Md. 63, 68, 139 A. 564, 566 (1927); 3 Wigmore, Evidence §§ 926, 982 (3rd ed. 1940); McCormick, Evidence § 43 (1954). [5] This is true not only of minor offenses like parking tickets or driving with loud mufflers or running red lights, but also of some major offenses like murder or assault and battery. It is hard to see any rational connection between, say, a crime of violence and the likelihood that the witness will tell the truth. In addition, there is the danger that a moralistic jury might decide not to believe a witness who has been convicted of a serious crime, even though the crime has no rational connection to credibility. For these reasons, we think it unwise to admit evidence of any and all convictions on the issue of credibility. We hold that admission of such evidence should be limited to those convictions that are relevant to the issue of truth and veracity. A perjury conviction, for example, would carry considerable probative value in a determination of whether a witness is likely to falsify under oath. We also think that other crimes that fall into the class of crimes involving dishonesty or false statement would have same value in a rational determination of credibility. The rule we adopt is that a prior conviction may come in if, but only if, the trial judge, in his discretion, feels that the party offering the evidence has satisfactorily shown that the conviction to be proved rationally carries probative value on the issue of the truth and veracity of the witness. We are fully aware of the fact that since 1876 this jurisdiction has had a statute, now HRS § 621-22, with the heading Discrediting witnesses by proof of conviction, that would on its face seem to allow proof of conviction of any indictable or other offense without any limitation whatsoever. [6] We think, however, that any statute dealing with the admissibility of evidence must be read in light of basic and fundamental principles of evidence law, the most basic of which is that all evidence, to be admissible, must be relevant to the issue on which it is offered. We stated this proposition very clearly in relation to the discrediting of witnesses in the case of Republic of Hawaii v. Tokuji, 9 Haw. 548, 552 (1894), where we said, Evidence to be admissible for the purpose of affecting the credibility of a witness must be such as bears directly upon his character for truth and veracity. Otherwise it would be irrelevant. It is not competent if it merely tends to disgrace the witness. Nowhere in our decisions have we found any that overrule this proposition, and indeed if there were such, we would be constrained to find them erroneous. The principle of relevance, as a pre-requisite to the admissibility of evidence, is a basic and uniformly accepted underpinning and foundation of the law of evidence. It may be that, at some points in the history of this court, admission of evidence was allowed that might seem to contradict the rule we adhere to today. See, for example, Provisional Government of Hawaiian Islands v. Aloiau, 9 Haw. 399 (1894); Territory v. Henry, 39 Haw. 296 (1952), cited by plaintiffs-appellants. If that is so, those cases are disapproved to the extent that they conflict with the rule set out in this case. Therefore, when a prior criminal conviction is offered to discredit a witness under HRS § 621-22, the party offering the conviction must show to the satisfaction of the trial judge that the conviction bears some rational relation to the propensity of the witness for truth and veracity; that is, that it is relevant to his credibility. [7] Applying the rule to this case, we think it is clear that a conviction for heedless and careless driving bears no rational relation to a witness' credibility, and it was properly excluded by the trial court when offered for impeachment. Reversed and remanded for new trial.