People v. Campbell

At issue in this case is whether defense counsel, by stipulating to the admission of evidence, can waive a defendant’s constitutional right to confront the source of the evidence without the defendant’s knowing consent to the stipulation. The appellate court, with one justice dissenting, held that defense counsel can stipulate to prosecution testimony without a defendant’s knowing consent because the decision to stipulate is a matter of trial strategy within defense counsel’s sound judgment. 332 Ill. App. 3d 808. The dissent believed that the decision whether to stipulate to the testimony of…