diff --git a/liquidjava-verifier/src/main/java/liquidjava/rj_language/opt/VCFolding.java b/liquidjava-verifier/src/main/java/liquidjava/rj_language/opt/VCFolding.java
index 0f747660..54b6bff7 100644
--- a/liquidjava-verifier/src/main/java/liquidjava/rj_language/opt/VCFolding.java
+++ b/liquidjava-verifier/src/main/java/liquidjava/rj_language/opt/VCFolding.java
@@ -94,6 +94,12 @@ private Expression foldUnary(UnaryExpression unary) {
      */
     private Expression foldIte(Ite ite) {
         Expression condition = ite.getCondition();
+
+        // true ? x : y -> x
+        // false ? x : y -> y
+        if (condition instanceof LiteralBoolean literal)
+            return literal.isBooleanTrue() ? ite.getThen().clone() : ite.getElse().clone();
+
         Expression foldedCondition = fold(condition);
         if (!condition.equals(foldedCondition))
             return new Ite(foldedCondition, ite.getThen().clone(), ite.getElse().clone());
@@ -108,11 +114,6 @@ private Expression foldIte(Ite ite) {
         if (!elseExpression.equals(foldedElse))
             return new Ite(condition.clone(), thenExpression.clone(), foldedElse);
 
-        // true ? x : y -> x
-        // false ? x : y -> y
-        if (condition instanceof LiteralBoolean literal)
-            return literal.isBooleanTrue() ? thenExpression : elseExpression;
-
         // y ? x : x -> x
         if (thenExpression.equals(elseExpression))
             return thenExpression;