People v. Allen

i

The majority has today replaced the trial judge’s discretionary authority to advance the truth-seek*660ing process with its own view of the proper use of impeachment evidence. The majority’s opinion would, for example, categorically prevent an accused drug seller from being impeached with evidence of prior convictions of the sale of drugs, and a defendant accused of sexual offenses from being impeached with prior convictions of sexual offenses. As a result, the majority’s limitation of trial-judge discretion will multiply the opportunity for even the guilty defendant to escape punishment and…