Opinion ID: 2052508
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: did the trial court err in failing to allow cross-examination of two key prosecution witnesses concerning matters in the witness' juvenile records?

Text: At trial, one juvenile testified that he had seen Donald with the victim in the early evening hours of October 24, 1986. Another juvenile testified that he loaned a shirt to Donald on October 24. Donald sought to cross-examine these juveniles based on their record as juvenile delinquents. At an in-camera proceeding, the trial court allowed defense counsel to examine one of the juveniles. At the conclusion of these proceedings, the trial court ruled that defense counsel would be precluded from cross-examining the juveniles based on their juvenile delinquency status. The trial court concluded that the juveniles' records would not have been admissible, pursuant to SDCL 19-14-15, [2] because they would not impeach the credibility of an adult insofar as the underlying offenses were not felonies, nor did they relate to dishonesty or false statements, pursuant to SDCL 19-14-12. Citing us to Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974), Donald argues that a defendant has a constitutional right to cross-examine witnesses as to their juvenile record for bias and prejudice where they were susceptible to acting out of fear or concern of possible jeopardy to their status. We find Donald's reliance on Davis misplaced. In Davis, the United States Supreme Court discussed the possible conflict between a defendant's right of cross-examination under the Confrontation Clause and State's important interest in protecting the anonymity of juvenile offenders by statutes such as SDCL 19-14-15. That pronouncement, adopted by Supreme Court Rule in 1978, was patterned after Federal Rules of Evidence 609(d), and no doubt found some guidance in the 1974 Davis decision. The Court distinguished between a general attack on credibility, which it characterized as an effort to infer that the witness' character is such that he would be less likely than the average trustworthy citizen to be truthful in his testimony[,] and a more particular attack on the witness' credibility effected by means of cross-examination directed toward revealing possible biases, prejudices, or ulterior motives of the witness as they may relate directly to issues or personalities in the case at hand. 415 U.S. at 316, 94 S.Ct. at 1110, 39 L.Ed.2d at 353-54. In Davis, the juvenile witness, a probationer from a burglary charge, was the only witness to have seen Davis in the vicinity of the crime with which he was being tried. Thus, the juvenile witness provided the crucial link in State's proof of defendant's act. The question which demanded cross-examination on the juvenile's record was whether he had testified to protect his probationary status or to shift suspicion away from himself. The opinion repeatedly referred to bias and prejudice. In that respect, we read the Davis court as limiting its holding.  In this setting we conclude that the right of confrontation is paramount to the State's policy of protecting a juvenile offender. (Emphasis added.) 415 U.S. at 319, 94 S.Ct. at 1112, 39 L.Ed.2d at 355. In this case, both juvenile adjudications involved consumption of alcohol, a status offense rather than a crime. Neither juvenile's testimony could be considered crucial to State's case. We therefore find no conflict between Donald's right of confrontation and the trial court's ruling under SDCL 19-14-15 so far as Davis is concerned. We affirm the trial court on this issue.