Court Opinion

ID: 9561548
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 18:11:38.450378+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:13:54.589813
License: Public Domain

VAN HOOMISSEN, J.,
concurring.
I agree with the decision announced by the majority opinion.
I write separately to express my view that State v. Campbell, 299 Or 633, 705 P2d 694 (1985), was wrong in holding that a trial court could not accept the parties’ stipulation that the child was unavailable to testify at trial. As I explained in State v. Adams, 315 Or 359, 368-69, 847 P2d 397 (1993) (Van Hoomissen, J., concurring):
“Generally, I see no reason why a criminal defendant should not be permitted to stipulate to virtually anything that he or she chooses as a result of plea discussions. A defendant may plead guilty to the charge. Indeed, a defendant even may plead guilty to aggravated murder, which might result in a sentence of death. A defendant may waive his or her state and federal constitutional rights to counsel, trial, jury, confrontation, and cross-examination. A defendant may stipulate to the admissibility of otherwise inadmissible evidence. A defendant intentionally may fail to raise an otherwise valid objection at trial and, thus, waive the right to raise the issue on appeal. The parties may stipulate to facts. State v. Lyon, 304 Or 221, 231, 744 P2d 231 (1987). Why, then, shouldn’t he or she be permitted to stipulate to other things?
“Of course, the parties may not stipulate to certain things, such as to the jurisdiction of the court, see, e.g., State *616v. Miner, 218 Or 502, 504, 342 P2d 773 (1959) (if the court has lost jurisdiction, the parties could not, by stipulation, confer such jurisdiction), or that a defendant could be sentenced to a term of imprisonment beyond the statutory maximum sentence prescribed by law. Generally, the parties may not stipulate as to the law.
“I merely suggest a more generalized proposition of law, i.e., that, subject to the approval of the court, the parties should be permitted to stipulate to anything that the court has the authority to approve. This seems somewhat like analogizing plea agreements to contracts, i.e., they create their own “law” and are enforceable so long as they are approved by the court and do not violate public policy.” (Emphasis in original; footnotes omitted.)
Notwithstanding, there is no need to reexamine Campbell in this case, and I am content to live with it for present purposes.
Gillette, J., joins in this opinion.