Opinion ID: 3134377
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ill 2d 266, 270 (1974), citing City of Chicago v. Rumsey, 87 Ill.

Text: 348, 357 (1877); accord State v. Lavazzoli, 434 So. 2d 321, 323 (Fla. 1983); State v. Cousan, 1996 La. Lexis 3233 (La. November 25, 1996); Succession of Fragala, 680 So. 2d 1345, 1348 (La. App. 1996); People v. Gornbein, 407 Mich. 330, 332, 285 N.W.2d 41, 43 (1979); State ex rel. Moore v. Molpus, 578 So. 2d 624, 643 (Miss. 1991); Kayden Industries, Inc. v. Murphy, 34 Wis. 2d 718, 731, 150 N.W.2d 447, 453 (1967); 16 C.J.S. Constitutional Law §36 (1984); 16 Am. Jur. 2d Constitutional Law §65 (1979). This principle recognizes that a constitutional amendment may have a retroactive effect only if such an intention is clearly expressed in the constitution. See Cullerton, 58 Ill. 2d at 270. No such intent was expressed in the constitutional amendment at issue here. Section 8 of article I, as amended in 1994, states that the accused in criminal prosecutions shall have the right  to be confronted with the witnesses against him or her. Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, §8, amended November 8, 1994. This language does not clearly indicate an intention to apply retroactively the amended constitutional right to confrontation. Moreover, the schedule contained in the 1994 constitutional amendment proposed by the General Assembly does not indicate that a retroactive application was intended. The schedule contained in that resolution stated as follows: This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon approval by the electors of this State, which date was November 8, 1994. 1994 Ill. Laws 3148 (Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 123). As further support for our finding that there was no intent to apply the constitutional amendment retroactively, we look to the form of ballot used in the November 1994 election to explain the proposed amendment to the voters. The form of ballot read: This proposed amendment changes Article I, Section 8 of the Illinois Constitution regarding the rights of the accused in a criminal prosecution by replacing language giving the accused the right `to meet the witnesses face to face' with language giving the accused the right ` to be confronted with the witnesses against him or her. '  1994 Ill. Laws 3096 (Senate Joint Resolution 181); George H. Ryan, Secretary of State, State of Illinois, Proposed Amendments to the Constitution of Illinois That Will Be Submitted to the Voters November 8, 1994, at 5 (1994). The express language on the ballot thus did not express an intent to apply the constitutional amendment retroactively. Based on our examination of the foregoing provisions, we find no indication that the constitutional amendment which altered the scope of the right to confrontation was intended to apply retroactively. We therefore hold that this constitutional amendment has prospective application only and cannot be applied retroactively to the defendant's case. Accordingly, the defendant, who had a right to confrontation at trial and whose trial had been completed, cannot be deprived retroactively of his right to a face to face confrontation. We further note that fundamental fairness and justice dictate that the constitutional amendment to section 8 of article I not apply retroactively to the defendant's case. At the time of the defendant's trial, the Illinois Constitution conferred on him an express and unqualified right to face to face confrontation. When we held the Child Shield Act unconstitutional in Fitzpatrick, we declared that the procedure allowed by that statute violated this constitutional right. Because the procedure found to be unconstitutional in Fitzpatrick was also employed during the defendant's trial, his then-existing constitutional right was violated. The State argues that the subsequent amendment to the constitution can be applied retroactively to cure this error. The fortuity of circumstances on which the State now relies, however, cannot validate retroactively what was undeniably an unconstitutional trial procedure when it occurred. The defendant is entitled to a trial which vindicates his constitutional right to face to face confrontation. We therefore find that retroactive application of this constitutional amendment to the defendant's case would result in manifest injustice because the defendant would be deprived of a fundamental constitutional right which was guaranteed to him at the time of his trial. Based on the foregoing analysis, we hold that the amendment to section 8 of article I of the Illinois Constitution, effective November 8, 1994, and the subsequently reenacted Child Shield Act do not apply retroactively to the defendant's case. Consequently, at the time of his trial, the defendant was entitled to meet witnesses face to face. Fitzpatrick, 158 Ill. 2d 360. The defendant was deprived of that constitutional right when the victim, E.C., testified by closed circuit television. Moreover, we conclude that the appellate court erred in applying the constitutional amendment and reenacted Child Shield Act retroactively to cure the error of admitting E.C.'s testimony via closed circuit television.