State v. David Arredondo, 2004 WI App 7, PFR filed 1/22/04
For Arredondo: James A. Rebholz
Issue/Holding:
¶49. Arredondo further claims that his trial lawyer should have moved to admit pursuant to Wis. Stat. Rule 908.045(1) (declarant unavailable) the transcript of Arredondo’s testimony at the 1995 sexual-assault trial. Arredondo contends that the trial court would have been “required” to admit his prior testimony because the other-acts evidence placed him in the “constitutionally untenable” position of either testifying in the homicide trial about the Kim S. assault and opening himself to cross-examination or foregoing the opportunity to rebut Kim S.’s testimony. We disagree. The criminal process is replete with situations requiring “`the making of difficult judgments'” concerning tensions between constitutional rights. State v. Hall, 103 Wis. 2d 125, 148, 307 N.W.2d 289, 299-300 (1981) (quoted source omitted). It is not unconstitutional to require a defendant to choose between testifying or remaining silent even though that choice affects other criminal charges. See ibid. Arredondo has failed to prove that his trial lawyer provided ineffective assistance.
