Hearsay pt 3 Flashcards
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Reputation concerning character
a reputation among a persons associates or in the community concerning the persons character
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Reputation consists of
the combined out-of-court statements of many people, concerning a person
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Reputation evidence is hearsay if offered to prove
that the person actually has the reputed charateristic
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
The reputation must concern
character, not other matters
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Evidence of a final judgemet of conviction if:
- the judgement was entered after a trial or guilty plea, but not a nolo contendre plea,
- the judgement was for a crime punishable by death or by imprisonment for more than a year,
- the evidence is admitted to prove that any fact essential to the judgement AND
- when offered by the prosecuter in a crim case for a purpose other than impeachment, the judgement was against the defendant;
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Evidence of final judgement of a previous conviction: only applie when of a crime punishable by..
death or imprisonment in excess of a year (felony)
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Judgement of a conviction:
judgement based on what are not admissible
nolo contondre
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Judgement of a conviction: what is a nolo concondre plea (not admissible)
purpose is to permit the defendant to accept punishmnet for charged crime without dealing with adverse collatoral consequences at a later time
803: Except to Hearsay regardless if declarant is available
Judgement of a conviction:
Does not allow the goverment to offer evidence of the conviction of who?
A person other then the defendat, UNLESS offered to impeach the persons creditability
Hearsay and the constitution
The confrontation clause comes into play if:
A hearsay exception makes a statement admissible against a defendant in a criminal trial and the declarant is unavailable
Hearsay and the constitution
If the hearsay statement is “testimonial”
it is inadmissible unless the defendant had a prior oppertunity to cross examine the declarant
Hearsay and the constitution
what it means for a statement to be testimonial
the statement is made during a preliminary hearing, grad jury hearing, formal trial, police investigation (somethimes)
Hearsay and the constitution (confrentation clause)
If the statement is testimonial then, EITHER:
the declarant must testify at trial
OR
the declarant must be unavailable
AND
the defendant must had an earlier oppertunity to cross examine the declarant
Hearsay and the constitution
Police interrogations and investigations are nontestimonial when
circumstances objectively indicate the primary purpose of the interrogation was to enable police assistance to meet an ongoing emergency
Trying to fix it, see what happend, not who did it
Hearsay and the constitution
Police interrogations and investigations are testimonial when
circumstances objectively indicate there is no ongoing emergency and the primary purpose of the interogation was to establish or* prove past events potentially relevent to later criminal prosecution *
Hearsay and the constitution
Police interrogations and investigations: look at and understand (davis)
- look at formality
- can transition from one to the other
Hearsay and the constitution
To be testimonial, the statement must have been made to someone…
with the role of the investigation
(focus on the objective of the interrogation)
Hearsay and the constitution
Dying declarations are
exempted from confrentation clause and forfiture clause
Rule 607 who may impeach a witness
Any party including the party that called the witness may attack the witnesses creditability
Hearsay and the constitution
If in a crim case, even if the evidence is kept out under hearsay rule, if sufficient inita of trustworthiness…
have to let in OR ELSE affects the right to jury trial
Former testimony
Testimony from yesterday in same trial=
current trial and not hearsay
Former testimony
Depositions
are always hearsay even if they are for the current trial
Former testimony
Testimony given at…
earlier testmony trial or hearing
Former testimony
Conditions for operation in a criminal case
if offering against you then need to be a party today
Former testimony
Conditions for operation in a civil case
did you have ability to be cross examined before?
predecessors in interest
Former testimony
Conditions for operation
- testimony given at earlier testimony trial or hearing
- criminal case: if offering against you then need to be party today
- civil case: did you have ability to be cross examined before, predecessors in interest
- motive
Statement under the belief of imminent death
Cases it applies to
homicide
civil case
Statement under the belief of imminent death
Homicide
someone is dead and need to get in
Statement under the belief of imminent death
civil case
dont need death
Statement under the belief of imminent death
imminent
death is here and at the door
Statement under the belief of imminent death
statement has to be about
the casue of death or cirumstances of death
Character and other act evidence
When we speak of a persons character, we mean a persons
deposition or tendancy to act in a certain way
Character and other act evidence
It is evidence concerning a persons…
propensity to act in a certain manner that makes a general statement about that person and conveys a moral or ethical judgement
examples of specific acts that are used to show a persons characher
previous violent behavior, reckless actions, lies
Character and other act evidence
Evidence of character may also come from a witness who:
- based on personal observation of someones behavior
- has formed an opinion about that persons reputation
Character and other act evidence
Evidence may take form of testimony about a persons good reputation such as
being a peaceful, careful, or truthful person
Character and other act evidence
different rules apply depending on the type of case in which
- the case is offered
- the kind of evidence offered
- the purpose for which it is offered
Character and other act evidence
While the rules generally, prohibit the use of evidence of specific acts to show that a person has a particular character and thereby is more likely to have acted in conformity with that character on a particular occasion… evidence of a persons
habit or an organization routine practice may be introduced to show action in conforminty
Character and other act evidence
evidence of a persons beliefs (socialist or athiest) OR innate abilitys (left handed or fast runner) is
not prescribed by the general propensity evidence
Character and other act evidence
When considering the admissiblity evidence under these rules,
Ask whether it is admissible for
- this specific purpose
- under these circumstances
- in this type of case
- in the form in which it is offered
Charater evidence- the general prohibition
404 announces a broad prohibition on the use of evidence of a persons charater to prove that on a particular occasion the person acted in conformity with that charater (propensity evidence)
Character and other act evidence
Propensity evidence
the use of evidence of a persons charater to prove that on a particular occasion the person acted in conformity with that charater
Character and other act evidence
Evidence of specific acts are not barred by 404 when acts are
relevent to prove something besides a persons character
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
Charater evidence:
Evidence of a persons charater or character trait is not admissible to prove
that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the character or trait
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
Crimes, wrongs, or other acts
evidence of a crime or other act is not admissible to prove
a persons character in order to show that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the character
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
Rule generally prohibits the admission of evidence of the prior murder for 3 reasons:
- our system hold to a deeply held principle that people must be tried not for the kind of persons they were or are, but for what they have done on a charged occasion
- characters evidence has a low probative value
- character evidence carries a substanial risk of unfair prejudice
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
bar applies to evidence regarding the charater of any person
not just the parties in the litigation, whether good or bad character, or in criminal or civil cases
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
does not apply to
organizations, institutons, corporations, animals, or things
Only people!
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
Allows evidence of character in several situations
- to prove character when character itself is an essential element of a charge, claim or defense (when character is at issue)
- when criminal defendant chooses to introduce pertinent character evidence regarding wither himself or the alledged victims
- in sexual assualt and child molestation cases and
- to prove the character for truthfulness of a witness
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
Character evidence allowed when character is “in issue”
when the law requires a party to prove character in order to establish an element of a charge, claim, or defense
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
Evidence of a Criminal Defendants or alledged vicitims character
The rule generally prohibits the prosecution in a criminal trial from offering character evidence of the defendant, but the rules allow criminal defendants to open the door to some character evidence
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
The criminal defendant may open the door to some character evidence in 3 ways
- may offer evidence of a pertinent character trait of his own
- may offer evidence of a pertinent character traint of alledged victim
- may make evidence of the victims peaceful character by offering, in a homicide case, evidence that the victim was the first aggressor
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
A defendant may offer evidence of the defendants pertient trait, and if that evidence is admitted
the prosecuter may offer evidence to rebut it
404: Charater evidence, crimes, wrongs, or other acts
a defendant may offer evidence of an alledged crime victims pertinent trait, if admitted
the proceuter may,
1. offer evidence to rebut it; and
2. offer evidence of the defendants same trait, and
3. in a homicide case, may offer evidence of the victims trait of peacefulness to rebut evidence that the victime was the first aggressor
413 and 414 allows the prosecution to use the character evidence and offer evidence of a criminal defendants other sexual assaults of cm for what purpose
any relevent purpose including arguing that the defendant has a propensity to commit the same crime and therefore is likely to have commited this charaged crime
SA and CM
412 (SA) restricts the admissibility of character evidence regarding
a victim of sexual assault
Similar crimes in SA and CM
Disclosure
if the prosecutor intends to offer this evidence the pros. must disclose it to the defendant
- including witness’s statements or a summary of expected testimony
- must do so at least 15 days before trial or at a later time that the court allows for good cause
Similar CM
a child age
under 14
Similar SA or CM act
criminal conviction of the similiar act
need not have resulted in a criminal conviction to be admissible
Evidence of SA or CM can be
- from a witness with personal knowledge
or - authenticated documents
Similar SA or CM act
Acts that occured after the charged act
may be admitted
Similar SA or CM act
Common facts that the court uses to weigh the probative value against 403 dangers include:
- The simiarity of the other act to the charged offense (similarity raises probative value)
- the amount of time between the other act and the charged offense, and any interviening conduct of similar nature
- the level of certainty that the other act occured
- whether the unfair prejudice may be minimized
Similar SA or CM act
Character evidence of an alledged victim of SA
known as “rape shield’ statutes
prevents the admission of most evidence of the alledged victims other sexual behavior or predisposition to engage in sexual behavior
Similar SA or CM act
In criminal cases, the court may admit the following evidence of the victims sexual behavior
- Evidence of specific instances of a victims sexual behavior if offered to prove that someone other then the defendat was the source of semen, injury, or other physical evidence
- evidence of specific instances of a victims sexual behavior toward the defendant if offered by the prosecutor or if offered by the defendant to prove consent, and
- evidence whose exclusion would violate the defendants constitutional rights