UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T
UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. J A M ES TH O M A S FLO CK ER, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 10- 10435 D . C . N o. 2: 05 -c r- 00 36 0-JA M -1 E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f

C a lif o rn ia , S a c r a m e n to ORDER

B efo re: H A W K IN S , G O U L D , an d M U R G U IA C i rcu i tJu d g es. A ppe l l a nt ’ s P e t i t i on f

orP a ne l R e he a r i ng a nd S ugge s t i on f or R e he a r i ng E n B a nc is g r a n te d in p a rt w ith r e s p e c t to th e d r a w in g o f a r e p la c e m e n t ju d g e a f te rJ u d g e B e tty F l e t c h e r ’ s d e a th . J u d g e Go u l d h a v i n g b e e n d r a wn t o r e p l a c e J u d g e F l e t c h e r , we w i thdr a w the pr e vi ous l y - f i l e d M e m or a ndum di s pos i t i on da t e d N ove m be r 5, 2012, a nd f i l e aM e m or a ndum di s pos i t i on c onc urr e nt l y w i th thi s O r de r . T he rem ai n de rof the p e titio n is d e n ie d w ith o u t p r e ju d ic e to r e n e w a l. 

# FI LED JAN 17 2 013 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nte xc e pt * a s pr ovi de d by N i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3. Judg e R on al d M . G o u ld w as draw n t o repl ac e Jud ge B etty B i nn s F l et cher . ** J u d g e G o u ld h a s r e a d th e b r ie f s , r e v i e w e d th e r e c o r d , a n d lis te n e d to th e au d io r e c o r d in g o f

o r a l a r g u m e n t h e ld o n O c to b e r1 7 , 2 0 1 2 .

NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T
UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. J A M ES TH O M A S FLO CK ER, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 10- 10435 D . C . N o. 2: 05 -c r- 00 36 0-JA M -1
ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia J ohn A . M e nde z , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d O c t obe r17, 2012 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H A W K IN S , G O U L D , an d M U R G U IA , C i rcu i tJu d g es. ** J a m e s T hom a s F l oc ke r( “ F l oc ke r”) ap p ea l s f r om hi s j ury tr i a l c onvi c t i on on three coun t s i nv ol vi ng p o ss es si on and d i stri bu t i on of i m ages depi ct i ng m i no rs 

# FI LED JAN 17 2 013 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSS p eci fi cal l y, F l o ck er w as co n v i ct ed o f tran sp o rt at i o n o f su ch im a g e s in 1 v i o l a t i o n o f

1 8 U . S. C. § 2 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 1 ) , d i s tr i b u t i o n i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U . S. C. § 2 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 2 ) , a n d p o s s e s s io n in v io la tio n o f 1 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 4 ) ( B ) . D au bert v. Merre l l

D ow P ha rm aceut i cal

s, Inc. , 50 9 U . S . 57 9 (19 93 ). 2 2 e nga ge d i n s ex ua l l y e xpl i c i tc onduc t . F l oc ke ra l l e ge s ava r i e ty of e rr or s , i nc l udi ng 1
e v i d e n t i a ry ru l i n g s , i n s tru c t i o n a l e rr o r , a n d i n s u f f i c i e n c y o f

th e e v i d e n c e . W e a f

f i rm. T he di s tr i c tc ourt di d not abus e i t s di s c r e t i on i n a dm i tt i ng the t e s t i m ony of the g o v er n m en t co m p u ter e x p er t. T h e c o u rt h eld an ev id en ti ar y h ea rin g o n th e e x p er t’ s qua l i f i c a t i ons a nd m e thodol ogy , a nd r e aso nabl y c onc l ude d the r e qui r e m e nt s of D a u b ert a nd F e de r a l R ul e of E vi de nc e 702 w e r e s a t i sfi ed . A l though D e t e c t i ve 2 P a rt i ka w a s notof

f i c i a l l y C a l i f

orni ac e rt i f

i e d a tthe t i m e he c onduc t e d hi s e xa m i na t i on of F l ocker’ s c om pu t er , he had t aken and succes sf ul l y com pl et ed se vera l advanced
c our s e s i n f

or e ns i c e xa m i na t i on of da t aa nd c onduc t e d t h e c om put e re xa m i na t i on ap p ly in g g e n e r a lly a c c e p te dm e th o d s a n d s o f tw a r e . See U

n i ted S ta tes v . Sm ith , 520 F . 3d 10 97 , 11 05 (9th C i r. 20 08 ); U n i ted S ta tes v. A b o n ce-B a rrera , 257 F . 3d 959, 965 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . F lo c k e r ’s c o u n s e l d id h ig h lig h t s o m e m in o rd e v ia tio n s f r o m p r o to c o l, b u t th o s e g o to th e w e ig h t o f th e te s tim o n y a n d n o t its th r e s h o ld a d m is s ib i l i t y . See S
. M
. v . J
. K. , 2 6 2 F .3 d 9 1 4 , 9 2 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) ; U ni ted Stat es v. Senchenko , 133 F . 3d 1 1 5 3 , 1 1 5 7 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ) .U

n ite d S ta te s v . N

e v ils , 59 8 F . 3d 11 58 , 11 64 (9th C i r. 20 10 ) ( en banc). 3 3 N or di d the di s tr i c t c ourt abus e i t s di s c r e t i on by a dm i tt i ng e vi de nc e o f fo ur prur i e nts t or i e s a s othe ra c te vi de nc e of F l oc ke r ’ s i nt en t u n de rF e de r a l R ul e of E v id e n c e 4 0 4 ( b ) . F lo c k e r ’s p r im a ry o b je c tio n is th a t th e ju ry c o u ld h a v e im p r o p e r ly
u sed th e st o ri es t o i n f o rm i t s d eci si o n o f w h eth er th e p h o t o s o f yo u n g b o ys uri nat i ng
— naked o r part i al l y c l othed— w er e l as ci vi ou s e x h i bi t i on s of geni t al i a, in s te a d o f

lo o k in g o n ly a t th e f

o u r c o rn e r s o f th e p h o to g r ap h s . H o w e v e r , th e c o u rt d id
no t adm i t the st ori es for that pu rpose. T he go vernm ent w as al so re qu i re d t o prove that F l oc ke rkne w ( a t t h e t i m e he e m a i l e d the m ) tha tthe phot os w e r e l a s c i vi ous a nd
s e x u a lly e x p lo ita tiv e o f

c h ild r e n . T h e s e s to r ie s
— in v o lv in g u r in a tio n b e tw e e n a d u lts
a nd c hi l dr e n i n as e xua l c ont e xt

— w e r e a dm i tt e d a s r e l e va ntt o F l oc ke r ’ s know l e dge
a n d in te n t. C

f
. U n i t e d S ta te s v . C u r tin , 48 9 F . 3d 93 5, 94 8– 50 (9th C i r. 20 07 ) ( en ba nc ) . T he c ourt pa rt i a l l y r e da c t e d the s t or i e s a nd ga ve as pe c i f i c l i m i t i ng i ns truc t i on ( both a tthe t i m e of i n t ro duc t i on a nd a ga i n a tc l os e of e vi de nc e ) tha tthe y w e r e t o be used on l y f

or thi s l i m i t ed pu rpose, an d a p re sum pt i on ar i se s thatthe j ury f ol l ow ed th o s e in s tru c tio n s . Se e U ni te d State s v . Sul l i v an , 59 5 F . 2d 7, 8– 9 (9th C i r. 19 79 ). V i ew i ng al l evi dence i n the l i gh tm ostfa vo rabl e t o the go vernm ent , as w e are re q u ired to do , there w as suff i ci entevi dence t o sup po rtthe i nt er st at e c om m er ce 3 el em entof C ou nt s 1 an d 2. W i th res pectt o C ou nt1 (transpo rt at i on ), there w as4

unc ont e s t e d t e s t i m ony tha ta ge nt s i nve s t i ga t e d the pe r so n t o w h om F l oc ke rs e nt e m a i l s w i th p h o t o s ( f

r o m Ca l i f

o rn i a ) a n d b e l i e v e d th e r e c i p i e n tw a s i n Sp a rt a n b u r g, S outh C a r ol i na . S upport i ng C ount2 ( di s tr i but i on) w a s t e s t i m ony th at a seri es of phot os i nvol vi ng ay oung vi c t i m ( the “ J e s s e ” s e r i e s ) ha d be e n t a ke n i n K e ntuc ky a nd
o n e o f th e p h o t o s Fl o c k e r upl oa de d t o Y a h o o ! i n v o l v e d th i s s a me v i c t i m a n d s a me b a c k g r o u n d . Se e U

ni te d State s v . L

y nn , 63 6 F . 3d 11 27 , 11 35 (9th C i r. 20 11 ). T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt d id n o t p la in ly e rrb y f a ilin g to g iv e as p e c if

ic u n a n im ity i ns truc t i on w i th r e s pe c t t o e a c h c ount . T he c ourtga ve age ne r a l una ni m i ty i ns truc t i on a n d th e e v id e n c e in th is c a s e w a s n o t s o c o m p le x o rc o n f u s in g th a t am o r e s p e c if ic i nstruct i on w as re qu i re d, es peci al l y because the coun t s w er e bas ed on a s i ng l e upl oad ( C o u n t 2 ) a n d as in g le e m a il ( C o u n t 1 ) . Se e U ni te d State s v . A ngui ano , 873 F . 2d 1 3 1 4 , 1 3 1 9

– 2 0 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 8 9 ) ; U n ite d S ta te s v . Fe r r is , 71 9 F . 2d 14 05 , 14 07 (9th C i r. 1983) . M or e ove r , a l though the j ury ne e de d t o una ni m ous l y a gr e e tha tthe de f e nda nt com m i tt ed ea ch el em entof the cr i m e, i tw as no tre qu i re d t o agree on w hi ch of se vera l p o s s ib le m e a n s th e d e f

e n d a n t u s e d to c o m m it a p a rtic u la r e le m e n t. Sc had v
. A r i z ona , 5 0 1 U .S . 6 2 4 , 6 3 1

– 3 2 ( 1 9 9 1 ) ; s e e al s o U ni te d State s v . H

of us , 598 F . 3d 1171, 11 76 –7 7 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). F i na l l y , the r e w as n o p l ai n e rr ori n the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s i ns truc t i on on the i nt e r s t a t e c om m e r c e e l e m e nt of C ount 2. E ve n a s s um i ng e rr ori n f a i l i ng t o i nf

orm the5

j ury i t nee ded t o fi nd the ph ot og raph s had tra vel ed i n i nt er st at e c om m er ce before F lo ck eru p lo ad ed th e m to th e Y ah o o ! g ro u p , an y s u ch er ro r d idn o t aff ec t F lo ck er ’s
su b st an t i al r i ght s . A s not e d above , the r e w a s unc ont e s t e d t e s t i m ony tha tone of the pi ctures i n the C al i forni a- base d u pl oad w as fr o m th e Jes se se ri es w hi ch had b ee n phot ogr aphe d i n K e ntuc ky a nd thus ha d tr a ve l e d i n i nt e r s t a t e c om m e r c e be f or e the upl oa d. A FFI R M ED .