Opinion ID: 1932220
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: conclusion

Text: ¶ 70. An uncertified copy of a prior judgment of conviction may be used by the state to meet its burden of proving a convicted defendant's status as a habitual criminal under Wis. Stat. § 939.62. Wisconsin Stat. § 973.12(1) does not require the use of only certified copies of judgments of conviction. Furthermore, the rules of evidence do not apply to documents offered during a circuit court's presentence determination of whether a qualifying prior conviction exists. However, the state continues to bear the full burden of proof and it must offer proof beyond a reasonable doubt of such a conviction. The better practice is to offer certified copies of judgments of conviction. ¶ 71. The court of appeals erred in concluding that an uncertified, yet uncontested, copy of a judgment of conviction may not be used by the state under § 973.12(1). The circuit court's proper consideration of the copy of the judgment of conviction in the court record, along with the totality of the record surrounding this document, supported a finding that the State proved the requirements of § 939.62 beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we reverse the decision of the court of appeals and reinstate the Kenosha County Circuit Court's January 10, 2001, order denying Saunders' motion for post-conviction relief. By the Court. The decision of the court of appeals is reversed. ¶ 72. ANN WALSH BRADLEY, J. (dissenting). This case turns on the majority's interpretation of a post-verdict exchange between the circuit court and defense counsel. It interprets the exchange as a defense stipulation to the mode of proof for prior convictions. This interpretation is the linchpin of the majority opinion. Without it, the opinion collapses. Because I conclude that the majority improperly recasts a cursory and ambiguous exchange into a precise stipulation, and erroneously determines that a copy of an uncertified judgment of conviction is sufficient to prove repeater status, I respectfully dissent.