State v. Galati Ex Rel. County of Maricopa

OPINION

McGREGOR, Justice.

¶ 1 These consolidated cases present the question whether a trial judge can order a bifurcated trial that permits a defendant to plead guilty or to stipulate to prior convictions that are elements of a charged offense, withhold knowledge of the defendant’s plea or stipulation from the jury, and submit the remaining elements to the jury. We granted review of two conflicting court of appeals’ opinions, State v. Galati, 193 Ariz. 437, 973 P.2d 1198 (App.1998) (hereinafter Petersen), and State v. Root, 193 Ariz. 442, 973 P.2d 1203 (App.1998), to address this issue of…