Opinion ID: 754758
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Key's Stipulation to the Nature of his Prior Felony Conviction

Text: 35 At trial, defendant Key stipulated that he had a prior conviction on a felony drug charge. The Government read this stipulation to the jury as the proof of a prior conviction required under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Relying entirely on the Supreme Court's recent opinion in Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172, 117 S.Ct. 644, 136 L.Ed.2d 574 (1997), Key argues that the District Court erred when it accepted his stipulation. 36 In Old Chief, a defendant charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) unsuccessfully attempted to stipulate to his status as a convicted felon and objected at trial when the Government introduced the order of judgment and conviction that disclosed the nature of his prior felony. The Ninth Circuit affirmed his conviction, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether the district court abused its discretion when it denied the defendant's attempt to exclude evidence of the name and nature of his prior offense under Rule 403 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. 4 The Court held that whenthe prior conviction is for an offense likely to support conviction on some improper ground, the only reasonable conclusion was that the risk of unfair prejudice did substantially outweigh the discounted probative value of the record of conviction, and it was an abuse of discretion to admit the record when an admission was available. 37 117 S.Ct. at 655. In a footnote, the Court explained that there may be ... other means of proof besides a formal admission on the record that, with a proper objection, will obligate a district court to exclude evidence of the name of the offense. Id. at 655 n. 10 (emphasis added). Thus, the district court's abuse of discretion was its denial of the defendant's attempts to stipulate only to his status as a felon and to exclude evidence of the nature of his prior conviction from the record. 38 In contrast to Old Chief, defendant Key willingly stipulated to the name and nature of his prior conviction and did not object when the Government presented this evidence to the jury. Because Key did not present the District Court with an alternative to admitting the nature of his prior conviction into evidence, this case does not conflict with the rule of Old Chief. The District Court did not abuse its discretion by allowing the Government to present the contents of defendant Key's stipulation to the jury.