State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Paul Sands and Frank Sheldrick, Defendants-Appellants

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey overruled State v. Hawthorne and held that N.J.S.A. 2A:81-12 does not require mandatory admission of every prior conviction for impeachment; trial judges have discretion to exclude such evidence when its probative value is substantially outweighed by prejudice, considering remoteness and the nature of the crime. The Court affirmed the defendants' murder convictions and applied the new discretionary rule prospectively to future trials.