Opinion ID: 771148
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Uniform Instruction on Testimony by a Single Witness

Text: 57 Petitioner contends that the following instruction, CALJIC 2.27, which the court read to the jury at his trial, violated due process by impermissibly diluting the prosecution's burden of proof: 58 You should give the testimony of a single witness whatever weight you think it deserves. However, tes timony by one witness which you believe concerning any fact is sufficient for the proof of such fact. You should carefully review all the evidence upon which the proof of such fact depends. 59 That instruction does not shift the prosecution's burden of proof in any way; it merely discusses how the jury is to consider the testimony of each witness. The jury was separately and explicitly instructed that the prosecution bore the burden of proving every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, the jury was properly instructed on the burden of proof, and there was no error. 60