Opinion ID: 1172140
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Trial Court Limitations on the Defense's Cross-examination of David Younge

Text: (3a), (4a) Defendant contends that the trial court erred in refusing to permit him to cross-examine prosecution witness David Younge regarding whether, in criminal proceedings unrelated to defendant's case, Younge had bribed judges. Defendant made a motion in limine seeking permission to conduct such cross-examination; the prosecutor opposed it on the grounds that acts of bribery were not evidence of a witness's character for veracity and that the probative value of the bribery evidence was outweighed by the time it would consume (see Evid. Code, § 352). The trial court excluded the evidence of Younge's acts of judicial bribery on both of these grounds. Defendant argues that excluding the evidence of Younge's briberies violated his right under the state and federal Constitutions to confront witnesses against him (see U.S. Const. 6th & 14th Amends.; Cal. Const., art. I, § 15) and was an abuse of the trial court's discretion under Evidence Code section 352 to exclude evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the probability that its admission will ... necessitate undue consumption of time. ( Ibid. ) In response, the People acknowledge that judicial bribery reflects on a witness's veracity but maintain that the exclusion of evidence here did not violate defendant's confrontation rights and was not an abuse of discretion. (5) Although the right of confrontation includes the right to cross-examine adverse witnesses on matters reflecting on their credibility, trial judges retain wide latitude insofar as the Confrontation Clause is concerned to impose reasonable limits on such cross-examination. ( Delaware v. Van Arsdall (1986) 475 U.S. 673, 679 [106 S.Ct. 1431, 1435, 89 L.Ed.2d 674].) In particular, notwithstanding the confrontation clause, a trial court may restrict cross-examination of an adverse witness on the grounds stated in Evidence Code section 352. (See People v. Harris (1989) 47 Cal.3d 1047, 1090-1091 [255 Cal. Rptr. 352, 767 P.2d 619].) A trial court's limitation on cross-examination pertaining to the credibility of a witness does not violate the confrontation clause unless a reasonable jury might have received a significantly different impression of the witness's credibility had the excluded cross-examination been permitted. ( Delaware v. Van Arsdall, supra, 475 U.S. at p. 680 [106 S.Ct. at pp. 1435-1436]; People v. Belmontes (1988) 45 Cal.3d 744, 781 [248 Cal. Rptr. 126, 755 P.2d 310].) (3b) In this case, Younge's credibility was extensively impeached. Younge admitted on cross-examination that he had previously perjured himself many times while testifying in other judicial proceedings, that he had bribed others to commit perjury, and that he had coached yet another witness in a different proceeding to give perjured testimony. Younge also admitted that he had been convicted of a hundred and thirty something counts of mail fraud as well as sale of cocaine and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. Younge described in detail his extensive involvement in the drug trade; he claimed to have earned over $20 million in that business and said that the federal government allowed him to keep several million dollars as part of his plea bargain. Because of the impeachment evidence that was presented, a reasonable jury would not have received a significantly different impression of Younge's credibility had he additionally been cross-examined regarding his bribery of two judges in other proceedings. Thus, there was no confrontation clause violation. ( Delaware v. Van Arsdall, supra, 475 U.S. at p. 680 [106 S.Ct. at pp. 1435-1436]; People v. Belmontes, supra, 45 Cal.3d at p. 781.) (4b) Defendant also contends that the trial court abused its discretion under Evidence Code section 352 by excluding cross-examination of Younge concerning these judicial briberies on the ground that it would consume an undue amount of time. We conclude that the trial court lacked an adequate basis for excluding the bribery cross-examination on this ground. Younge had previously freely admitted under oath in other judicial proceedings to his two acts of judicial bribery, even stating that he was not ashamed to admit it. Thus, it was unlikely that Younge would have denied the briberies under cross-examination in this case; had he done so, defendant could have introduced Younge's prior testimony admitting the briberies under the hearsay exception for prior inconsistent statements. (Evid. Code, § 1235.) Neither course would have consumed a significant amount of time.