Does a defendant have a constitutional right to present all relevant evidence in his defense?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Sandoval, H034186 (Cal. App. 2011):

Defendant's right to present a defense at trial does not automatically override a court's exercise of discretion under Evidence Code section 352. " 'As a general matter, the ordinary rules of evidence do not impermissibly infringe on the accused's [constitutional] right to present a defense. Courts retain . . . a traditional and intrinsic power to exercise discretion to control the admission of evidence in the interests of orderly procedure and the avoidance of prejudice.' " (People v. Cudjo (1993) 6 Cal.4th 585, 611.) A defendant does not have a constitutional right to present all relevant evidence in his defense, no matter how limited in probative value such evidence will be

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