Opinion ID: 846467
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: the first prong of robinson

Text: The majority's decision in this case represents a rejection of precedent. In Robinson v. Detroit , [5] we articulated a two-part test for determining when it is proper for the Court to do so. A simplified statement of the test is this: it is proper to overrule a decision if (1) the case was wrongly decided and (2) there has not been extensive reliance on the decision so that striking down the precedent would not produce practical real-world dislocations. Robinson, supra at 466, 613 N.W.2d 307. In applying this test, we first ask whether Lester and Ora Jones were wrongly decided. The majority finds that they were. It opines that they are inconsistent with § 26 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, MCL 769.26, and People v. Lukity and People v. Rodriguez , cases decided many years later. MCL 769.26 controls judicial review of preserved, nonconstitutional error. Lukity, supra at 495, 596 N.W.2d 607. The question becomes whether Lester and Ora Jones are inconsistent with MCL 769.26, which has remained unchanged since it became effective in 1927. It provides: No judgment or verdict shall be set aside or reversed or a new trial be granted by any court of this state in any criminal case, on the ground of misdirection of the jury, or the improper admission or rejection of evidence, or for error as to any matter of pleading or procedure, unless in the opinion of the court, after an examination of the entire cause, it shall affirmatively appear that the error complained of has resulted in a miscarriage of justice. This statute places the burden on the defendant to prove that a miscarriage of justice occurred. Lukity stated that what a defendant must prove is that more probably than not a preserved nonconstitutional error influenced the outcome of the trial. Lukity, supra at 495, 596 N.W.2d 607. It is my belief that Lester and Ora Jones do not conflict with MCL 769.26. Rather, they recognize that the failure to give the instruction where accident is a central issue results in a miscarriage of justice and undermines the reliability of the verdict. Because the error undermines the reliability of the verdict, it cannot be harmless. People v. Krueger, 466 Mich. 50, 54, 643 N.W.2d 223 (2002). The right to a properly instructed jury is fundamental to a criminal trial. Without the basic protection provided in Lester and Ora Jones, many criminal trials in this state would fail utterly to serve as a reliable vehicle for determining guilt. Arizona v. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279, 310, 111 S.Ct. 1246, 113 L.Ed.2d 302 (1991).