What does Rule 609(b) say about pardoned, annulled, rehabilitated, or similar dispositions?

What does Rule 609(b) say about pardoned, annulled, rehabilitated, or similar dispositions?

• A. Pardoned, annulled, rehabilitated, or similar dispositions render the conviction inadmissible.
• B. Pardoned or rehabilitated convictions are sometimes admissible at the court's discretion.
• C. Juvenile adjudications are always admissible.
• D. The defendant's age determines admissibility.

Answer: (A)

Rule 609(b) protects rehabilitation from being held against a witness. If a conviction has been pardoned, annulled, or the witness has been rehabilitated by a certificate of rehabilitation or an equivalent disposition, that conviction generally cannot be used to impeach the witness’s credibility. The idea is to recognize rehabilitation and avoid punishing someone indefinitely for a past crime after they’ve cleaned up their record. So the disposition renders the prior conviction inadmissible for impeachment. Juvenile adjudications and age considerations involve different rules and are not controlling in this context, which is why they don’t fit as the best answer.

Rule 609(b) protects rehabilitation from being held against a witness. If a conviction has been pardoned, annulled, or the witness has been rehabilitated by a certificate of rehabilitation or an equivalent disposition, that conviction generally cannot be used to impeach the witness’s credibility. The idea is to recognize rehabilitation and avoid punishing someone indefinitely for a past crime after they’ve cleaned up their record. So the disposition renders the prior conviction inadmissible for impeachment. Juvenile adjudications and age considerations involve different rules and are not controlling in this context, which is why they don’t fit as the best answer.