Court Opinion

ID: 9606957
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:54:25.774495+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:30:57.062681
License: Public Domain

dissenting.
I join the dissent of Justice Jordan and wish to add only two additional comments.
A recurring criticism by the public, lawyers and judges is that the law is too complicated. The majority decision in this case holds that evidence that the witness was given a lie detector test and that immediately thereafter an arrest warrant was obtained for this defendant, was admissible under Code § 38-302 to explain the officers’ conduct.
Although the jury was instructed to determine the credibility of the witnesses, they unfortunately were not instructed that lie detector tests are unreliable and that the evidence that the witness was given a lie detector test was to be considered by them not for the purpose of determining the credibility of the witness but solely for the purpose of explaining the conduct of the officer.
Of equal or greater importance to me is that heretofore the Georgia law in this area has been uncomplicated, to wit: evidence regarding lie detector examination is inadmissible. See Stack v. State, 234 Ga. 19 (214 SE2d 514) (1975); Salisbury v. State, 221 Ga. 718(4) (146 SE2d 776) (1966); Wallace v. Moss, 121 Ga. App. 366(1) (174 SE2d 196) (1970); Cagle v. State, 132 Ga. App. 227(2) (207 SE2d 703) (1974).
*331Now the majority holds that evidence regarding lie detector examination of a witness was admissible in this case. We had simplicity before, complexity now.
Certain exceptions to legal principles are necessary, of course. Therefore a certain amount of complexity is necessary. However, in my view there is no necessity here for this exception and thus no reason in my view for this complication. I fear that this exception will cause unnecessary legal problems in the future and I therefore join in dissenting in this case.