Opinion ID: 2618212
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the repeal of the insanity defense violates due process.

Text: Even though a majority of this Court, as presently constituted, entertains the view that the legislative abolition of the insanity defense violates constitutional due process, this Court reaffirmed the opposite holding in State v. Searcy, 118 Idaho 632, 798 P.2d 914 (1990). The doctrine of stare decisis does not allow such a result. Stare decisis is not a confining phenomenon but rather a principle of law. And when the application of this principle will not result in justice, it is evident that the doctrine is not properly applicable. Smith v. State, 93 Idaho 795, 801, 473 P.2d 937, 943 (1970). Stated bluntly, it appears that not everyone who accepts and adheres to stare decisis perceives that allowing the defendant to be executed in violation of the constitution will result in justice. If it is so perceived, then I submit that the well-reasoned views so recently expressed in Searcy, 118 Idaho at 639-53, 798 P.2d at 921-35, (Johnson, J. dissenting, McDevitt, J. dissenting), should rule in Card's case. A more compelling and cogent reason to depart from an unconstitutional legislative rule which is less than a year old does not readily come to mind. With three members of the Court being of the same view, there is no basis for not putting the state of the law back where it was prior to Searcy. It appears that three other cases will be affected: one case currently pending before this Court, one well-publicized trial just concluded, and Searcy's case. Furthermore, Justice Johnson's Searcy dissent served to put the trial bench and bar on notice that the issue was not permanently concluded by the Searcy decision: I am aware that there are other death penalty cases that will be argued before this Court within a matter of days that will again raise the issue of the unconstitutionality of the abolition of the insanity defense. Because the insanity defense is fundamental and because of the awesomeness of death penalty cases, I announce to my brethren on this Court today that I will be prepared to address this issue again in these future death penalty cases, despite the ruling of the Court in this case. Searcy, 118 Idaho at 640, 798 P.2d at 922. The overruling of Searcy will simply return the criminal law to the status which it has forever had since this nation was founded.