Court Opinion

ID: 9629762
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 09:48:34.241962+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:18:21.884854
License: Public Domain

GILLETTE, J.
concurring.
I concur in all that the majority says, but wish to add this note.
It is apparent to me that the trial judges who make commitment decisions are oftentimes influenced by the appearance or behavior of the person before them. That behavior may be unusual, even bizarre. However, in only the rarest instances does the judge describe this behavior for the record. The result, in a cold transcript, can be misleading. For example, a transcript may contain apparently reasonable responses to a psychiatrist’s (or the court’s) questions. Yet, if we knew that the person giving them did so while hiding beneath the counsel table, we would view the answers in a completely different light.
De novo review under a "beyond a reasonable doubt” standard is a difficult undertaking. We are greatly assisted when a trial judge narrates for the record what happens before him, as a supplement to what is said. I would urge trial judges to do so whenever appearance or behavior in court has a bearing on their judgment.