Court Opinion

ID: 9863152
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 03:08:16.223385+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:47:44.521207
License: Public Domain

MALONEY, Judge,
dissenting.
The conduct of the trial court in this case goes beyond what the Legislature intended in enacting Article 38.071 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and, regardless of our sympathies, is the first step in extending the boundaries of a statute that, by its very terms, is meant to be restrictive in application. Certainly its application to the facts of this case is open to constitutional question. See Kentucky v. Stincer, 482 U.S. 730, 107 S.Ct. 2658, 96 L.Ed.2d 631 (1987); Coy v. Iowa, 487 U.S. 1012, 108 S.Ct. 2798, 101 L.Ed.2d 857 (1988); Maryland v. Craig, — U.S. —, 110 S.Ct. 3157, 111 L.Ed.2d 666 (1990).
Public policy demands that we protect witnesses from abuse and particularly that we protect the child witness to the greatest degree possible; but not at the expense of fundamental law. A child as well as an adult can manipulate the truth. But a child because he or she is a child and for that reason alone, is sometimes more acceptable to the jury as being a truthful witness than an adult. We all want to believe children are truthful, particularly those who are testifying in an adult world; but who can forget the child who, when accused by his parents, fabricated strange yet believable tales for whatever reason and got away with it.
Our system of confrontation by its operation is designed to obtain the truth. Segregation of a witness by the Judge from the environs of the Court has a tendency to place that witness in a status of unquestioned credibility. The plurality allows the segregation today with a child; tomorrow perhaps with the elderly; next week, with a pregnant woman and so on.
The danger of diminution of the protection guaranteed by the confrontation clauses of both the State and Federal Constitutions is much too great if the conduct of the trial court in this case is allowed to stand. For this reason, I respectfully dissent.