Old Chief v. United States
United States Supreme Court
519 U.S. 172 (1997)
Relevant factsFree
Old Chief (defendant), charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm based on a prior assault conviction, offered to stipulate to his felon status and asked the court to bar the prosecution from introducing further details of that prior conviction, given its potential to prejudice the jury. The district court admitted the full record of the conviction anyway, the Ninth Circuit affirmed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
IssueFree
Whether the full record of a defendant's prior felony conviction is admissible where the defendant offers to stipulate to that fact and the statute at issue only requires proof of prior felon status.