Opinion ID: 2545133
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Requiring a defendant to request a witness's presence is an acceptable precondition to the exercise of the right of confrontation

Text: While section 16-3-309(5) places a small burden on the defendant if he wishes to have a lab technician testify, it does not shift the burden of proof to the defendant. Section 16-3-309(5) requires the defendant to notify the prosecution and the witness if the defense would like the lab technician to testify at trial. However, this burden is minimal and, as discussed below, is no more than we have required of defendants in other circumstances. Thus, section 16-3-309(5) does not impermissibly shift the burden of proof to the defendant. Preconditions to the exercise of a right are not unknown to the criminal law and, when reasonable in nature do not constitute an abridgement of that right. People v. Hampton, 696 P.2d 765, 774 (Colo.1985). While the prosecution bears the burden of proving the case against the defendant, In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 361, 90 S.Ct. 1068, 25 L.Ed.2d 368 (1970), a defendant still must avail himself of his opportunity to cross-examine by being present at trial and standing up and questioning the witnesses. Section 16-3-309(5) infringes on a defendant's right of confrontation no more than those minimal requirements. Under section 16-3-309(5), a defendant must inform the prosecutor that he would like the lab analyst present at trial ten days before the trial in order to avail himself of the right of cross-examination. We have upheld as constitutional many conditions which require defendants to take some step in order to preserve their rights. For example, in Hampton, we held that a rule of criminal procedure which requires the defendant to serve notice of an alibi statement upon the prosecutor is constitutional. Hampton, 696 P.2d at 774. The rule requires that the statement include where the defendant claims to have been, and the names and addresses of all of the witnesses he will call in support of his alibi. Id. at 772. The defendant was required to provide this evidence within a reasonable time after the prosecuting attorney gives the defendant a statement specifying where and when the prosecutor contends the defendant committed the offense charged. Id. Thus, while the defendant was required to shoulder some burden in order to exercise his constitutional right to present a defense and to call witnesses, we held that the burden did not violate that right. Id. at 774. Similarly, we have held that the requirements imposed on a defendant under the rape shield statute were not violative of a defendant's constitutional right of confrontation. People v. McKenna, 196 Colo. 367, 373, 585 P.2d 275, 279 (1978). Under that statute, a defendant is required to make a formal offer of proof, and an in camera hearing may be held, to determine if the evidence regarding the victim's prior sexual history is relevant. Id. (citing § 18-3-407, C.R.S.1973 (1977 Supp.)). The defendant in McKenna argued that this requirement violated his right to confrontation because it denied him the right to confront his accuser regarding issues which he felt were relevant to his defense. Id. We held that this requirement was constitutional and that, rather than completely denying the defendant's rights in order to protect the victim's privacy interest, the statute strikes a balance by conditioning admission of evidence ... on the defendant's preliminary showing that it is relevant. Id. We adopt the same reasoning here in holding that section 16-3-309(5) balances the rights of the defendant with the public interest in efficient use of the state lab technicians' time. Thus, we reiterate that while the defendant's right to confrontation is fundamental, it is not without limit. Burdens may be placed on the defendant to exercise that right and, when reasonable in nature, [the burdens] do not constitute an abridgement of that right. Hampton, 696 P.2d at 774. The burden placed on the defendant here is minimal. Furthermore, his right to confront is not abridged; a defendant is not denied the right to confrontation altogether. Rather, the statute merely requires the defendant to make an affirmative request to ensure that right. Again, however, we note that while this burden on its face is constitutional, there may be circumstances where it is, in fact, an unreasonable burden and effectively abridges a defendant's right to confrontation. Thus, the trial court must be cautious and consider all the relevant circumstances before admitting a crime lab report, over the objection of a defendant, without the necessary foundational testimony as permitted by section 16-3-309(5).