Opinion ID: 2901150
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Potential for unfair prejudice

Text: 21 Schneider argues that allowing him to make this statement would have presented little potential for unfair prejudice. Schneider contends that “any general inclination to exclude from evidence the fact of a criminal defendant’s pretrial incarceration is to protect the defendant, not the prosecution, from unfair prejudice.” Appellant’s Br. at 47-48. We disagree. While this argument is facially plausible, it is supported by no citation to any case law or secondary authority. See Appellant’s Br. at 47-48. Nor do the Federal Rules of Evidence, either in their text or in the advisory committee’s notes, contain any instruction or indication that evidence of incarceration is inadmissible if the defendant would be prejudiced, but admissible if the prosecution would be prejudiced. The Government, on the other hand, argues that allowing Schneider to testify in this manner holds great potential for unfair prejudice. It contends that Schneider sought to stir sympathy with the jury, and identifies other cases where evidence was ruled inadmissible due to its potential to induce sympathy for the defendant in the jury. See United States v. Harris, 491 F.3d 440, 447 (D.C. Cir. 2007); United States v. Pintado-Isiordia, 448 F.3d 1155, 1158 (9th Cir. 2006) (per curiam). When a District Court decides whether evidence, such as Schneider’s testimony, is admissible, it must weigh the probative value of the testimony with the potential for unfair prejudice. Only when the probative value is “substantially outweighed” by the potential for unfair prejudice is the evidence inadmissible. Schneider’s testimony on incarceration has little probative value, but the potential for unfair prejudice is real. The District Court did not abuse its discretion in making this judgment. We therefore will affirm the District Court’s ruling on this issue. 22