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106 Idaho 665

682 P.2d 618

State v. Nield

Idaho Supreme Court

Decided June 6, 1984

Idaho Supreme Court · decided 1984-06-06

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“`that while the setting forth of reasons for the imposition of a particular sentence would be helpful and is encouraged, it is not mandatory.'”

quoted by 3 later decisions, including State v. Tisdale, State v. Williams

“We granted the Petition for Review pursuant to I.A.R. 118(b)(2) to review the sole issue of whether a district court must state of record the reasons for the sentence imposed. In all other respects, the decision of the Court of Appeals remains undisturbed. The Court of Appeals examined this issue in view of their previous decision in State v. Tisdale, 103 Idaho [836] 654 P.2d 1389 (Ct.App.1982), wherein the Court of Appeals required that the sentencing court “indicate of record his reasons for the sentence then imposed.” Id. at 838, 654 P.2d at 1390 . In applying the Tisdale standard to the case at bar, the Court of Appeals stated that the district court’s oral statements made on the record at the conclusion of the hearing and in the presence of the defendant, were sufficient to satisfy the Tisdale standard. Nield, supra, 106 Idaho at 666 , 682 P.2d at 619 .”

quoted by 1 later decision, including State v. Williams

Relies on State v. Osborn · State v. Tisdale · State v. Brewster

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1984-06-06

How this case has been cited

Cited by 30 later decisions — most recently February 2021 · most notably State v. Babb (1994), State v. Snapp (1987)

30 state decisions

18019841990200020102020decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

DONALDSON, Chief Justice.

¶1The appeal to the Court of Appeals involved a review of the sentence imposed upon the defendant, David Lamar Nield, for a sexual assault upon a ten-year-old girl. The defendant was sentenced by the district court to the custody of the Board of Corrections for an indeterminate period not exceeding ten years. Before the Court of Appeals, the defendant contended that the district judge did not adequately state the reasons for the sentence imposed, and that the sentence was excessive.

¶2We granted the Petition for Review pursuant to I.A.R. 118(b)(2) to review the sole issue of whether a district court must state of record the reasons for the sentence imposed. In all other respects, the decision of the Court of Appeals remains undisturbed.

¶3The Court of Appeals examined this issue in view of their previous decision in State v. Tisdale, 103 Idaho 836, 654 P.2d 1389 (Ct.App.1982), wherein the Court of Appeals required that the sentencing court “indicate of record his reasons for the sentence then imposed.” Id. at 838, 654 P.2d at 1390. In applying the Tisdalestandard to the case at bar, the Court of Appeals stated that the district court’s oral statements made on the record at the conclusion of the hearing and in the presence of the defendant, were sufficient to satisfy the Tisdalestandard.

¶4In reaching this decision, the Court of Appeals erroneously failed to consider Tisdaleto have been overruled by this Court in State v. Osborn, 104 Idaho 809, 663 P.2d 1111 (1983). In Osbornwe stated, and again we reiterate, “that while the setting forth of reasons for the imposition of a particular sentence would be helpful and is encouraged, it is not mandatory.” Id. at 810, 663 P.2d at 1112; see also State v. Brewster, 106 Idaho 145, 676 P.2d 720 (1984). Henceforth, this is the law of Idaho, and all cases holding otherwise are hereby overruled.

¶5Consistent with these views, we hold that the sentencing judge was not mandated to set forth the reasons for the imposition of the defendant’s sentence. Thus, the sentence imposed by the district court is affirmed and, consistent with the holding of the Court of Appeals, the judgment of the district court in all other respects is affirmed.

SHEPARD and BAKES, JJ., concur.
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