Opinion ID: 1799945
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Necessity of Objection at Trial

Text: From the decisions of the United States Supreme Court and our opinions, the following principles with respect to the necessity of objection at or before trial are controlling: (1) In the absence of unusual circumstances, the admission of evidence even though prejudicial does not entitle the defendant to a new trial as a matter of right [30] where no proper objection was made at trial, and this is the case even though valid objection to the evidence might have been made upon constitutional grounds. [31] (2) The improper admission in evidence of a confession over proper objection is never error without prejudice. [32] (3) Where at trial the attention of the court is directed to a claim of constitutional infringement, technical niceties as to the time and form of objection should be disregarded. [33] (4) Upon appeal or in postconviction procedures, a conviction based in whole or in part upon evidence obtained in violation of the Federal constitutional rights of the defendant will be set aside even though no proper objection was made at the time of trial, if to do otherwise, in light of the record considered as a whole, would be to perpetuate a substantial and essential injustice in the sense that as a result an innocent man may have been convicted. [34] In this connection, the rule is the same whether the proceedings be by appeal or by postconviction procedures, subject only to the consideration that in all of these cases the interests of the state in proper law enforcement must be placed in balance with the interests of the individual in preserving his freedom. [35] A new trial in a criminal case will be less detrimental from the standpoint of the public interest in law enforcement and, therefore, more readily granted in close cases where the claims of constitutional infringement are called to the attention of the reviewing courts promptly by appeal so that a second trial, if ordered, can be had before memories fade or witnesses disappear. [36]