State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Edgar Hawthorne, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the statute N.J.S. 2A:81-12 authorizes the admission of a witness's prior convictions for impeachment regardless of how remote the convictions are, and therefore the trial judge erred in suppressing such evidence. The Court reversed the lower court's pre‑trial exclusion and remanded for trial, directing that the convictions may be introduced and, if appropriate, the trial judge may caution the jury on their age. Two concurring opinions agreed with the result but expressed differing views on the role of judicial discretion.