Opinion ID: 1163346
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: the right to impeach a witness with evidence of a prior felony conviction

Text: NRS 50.095 provides, in relevant part: 1. For the purpose of attacking the credibility of a witness, evidence that he has been convicted of a crime is admissible but only if the crime was punishable by death or imprisonment for more than 1 year under the law under which he was convicted. ... . 6. A certified copy of a conviction is prima facie evidence of the conviction. NRS 50.095 does not require that the judgment of conviction be presented before questioning a witness about prior felony convictions. We have, however, consistently held that the state may not ask the accused or a defense witness a question concerning a prior felony conviction if it is unprepared to prove the prior conviction with a copy of the judgment of conviction in the event that the conviction is denied. See Tomarchio v. State, 99 Nev. 572, 665 P.2d 804 (1983). We have not had occasion to consider whether this same rule applies when the defense is attempting to impeach a prosecution witness. We conclude that a different standard applies when the defense is attempting to impeach a prosecution witness with proof of a prior felony conviction. In such a situation, the concerns of a possible prejudicial effect are not the same as when the prosecution is attempting to impeach the accused or a defense witness. The possibility of a resulting prejudicial impact is far greater for the accused than for the state. As stated by the Eighth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals: Where life and liberty depend upon the testimony of another, it is in the interest of justice that the jury should have before them every fact affecting the credibility of the witness. Otherwise, a party may be deprived of life and liberty by the testimony of a criminal... . Williams v. United States, 3 F.2d 129, 134 (8th Cir.1924). The state is not facing a loss of life and liberty as is the accused. An additional concern is that counsel will question a witness about a prior felony conviction, without having any evidence to support such conviction, for the mere purpose of tarnishing the witness' character. In such a situation the jury is much more likely to conclude that the criminal defendant is an ex-felon than it is to conclude that the state's witness is an ex-felon, even if both witnesses deny the prior conviction. The criminal defendant's character is already tainted by the mere fact of being the accused. To further alleviate this concern, we hold that the district court may exercise discretion in determining whether the defense is asking about a prior conviction for the honest purpose of impeaching the witness or merely to arouse suspicion in the jurors' minds. If the defense has a reasonable belief that the witness has previously been convicted of a felony, the question should be allowed. We note that in this case there was absolutely no concern that Corbin was simply conducting a fishing expedition to wrongfully tarnish McGregor's reputation. Corbin and McGregor met in prison, and it is undisputed that McGregor had prior felony convictions. Moreover, the state possesses and controls information regarding a witness' prior criminal activity and can more easily determine whether a prior felony conviction exists. The defense, on the other hand, does not have ready access to such information. Therefore, if we were to require the defense to present a judgment of conviction we would be placing a heavier burden on the defense than this same rule places on the state. We conclude that when the defense is attempting to impeach a prosecution witness, a question concerning a prior felony conviction should be permitted if the defense has a reasonable belief that such prior conviction exists, regardless of whether the defense is prepared to prove it with a judgment of conviction. If the witness denies the conviction, questioning concerning the prior conviction must cease. The defense, however, may rebut such denial with a certified copy of the judgment of conviction.