United States v. Thomas Reginald Pritchard

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• explaining that, despite a limiting instruction, it will be very difficult for juries not to draw inappropriate propensity inferences when prior convictions are admitted
• noting that, as time passes, a prior conviction’s probative value into a witness’s character for truthfulness fades
• stating that “there is a presumption against the use of prior crime impeachment evidence over ten years old; such convictions will be admitted very rarely and only in exceptional circumstances”
• upholding the admission of defendant’s 13-year-old conviction because “the crux of the case was a credibility issue”
• affirming the admission of a witness’s criminal record because “the district court correctly saw the credibility of [his] own testimony as vital”
• admitting thirteen year old felony conviction only after Government demonstrated “substantial” need

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).