Court Opinion

ID: 9706383
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:42:18.434508+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:22.196071
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE McMORROW, dissenting: The circuit court, in the exercise of its discretion, found that the mere-fact method of impeachment was the most appropriate approach in presenting evidence of defendant’s five prior felony convictions to the jury. The majority, relying upon People v. Atkinson, 186 Ill. 2d 450 (1999), concludes that the circuit court’s decision constitutes reversible error. In Atkinson, this court held that, as a matter of law, it is always improper for a circuit court to employ the mere-fact method to impeach a testifying defendant. Justice Rathje and I dissented from this holding. As the dissenting opinion in Atkinson explained, “[historically, this court has vested the trial court with great discretion to determine what evidence should be presented at trial.” Atkinson, 186 Ill. 2d at 464 (Rathje, J., dissenting, joined by McMorrow, J.). In holding that circuit courts are prohibited from considering the mere-fact impeachment method, the Atkinson majority unwarrantedly departed from our traditional jurisprudence by “remov[ing] from the trial court the discretion to determine whether or to what extent evidence is admissible.” Atkinson, 186 Ill. 2d at 472 (Rathje, J., dissenting, joined by McMorrow, J.). I continue to adhere to my position that the decision of whether or to what extent evidence of a prior conviction may be admitted for purposes of impeachment is within the circuit court’s sound discretion. It is within the wide discretion traditionally afforded the circuit court to permit the use of mere-fact impeachment if the court determines that it is the most appropriate impeachment method. For the reasons stated, I respectfully dissent from the opinion of the majority.