## United States Court of App eals

F O R T H E E I G H T H C I R C U I T

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No. 1 0- 23 96

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Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca, *

* App el la nt

, *

* App eal fro m

th e Uni te d S ta te s

v. * Dis tri ct Co ur t fo r th e

* Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa

. Ton y Hul st ei n, *

* [UNPUBLISHED] App el le e. *

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Su bm it te d: Apri l 1 4, 2 01 1
Fi le d: Aug us t 8 , 20 11

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Befo re RI LEY, Chi ef J ud ge , BENTON and SHEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.

Ton y Hul st ei n was in di ct ed on on e co un t of de al in g fir earm s wit ho ut a li cen se , in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( a)(1 )(A), 92 3( a), an d 92 4( a)(1 )(D) an d fo ur co un ts

of in te rs ta te tra ve l to de al in f i r e a r ms w i t ho ut a li cen se , i n vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. §

92 4( n)

. Pri or to tri al

, th e Gov ern m en t su bm it te d it s ex hi bi t li st

, whi ch in cl ud ed 46 0

se pa rat e ex hi bi ts (Exh ib it s 1- 46 1) th at pu rp or te dl y do cu m en te d Hul st ei n’s ex te ns iv e

de al in gs in fir earm s. Als o in it s ex hi b i t l i s t

, th e Gov ern m en t in cl ud ed a su m m ary

ex hi bi t (Exh ib it 46 4) th at su m m ari zed m

uc h of th e in fo rm at io n co nt ai ne d in Exh ib it s1- 46 1. Fo ll owi ng two pr et ria l co nf eren ces , th e di st ric t co ur t en te red an or de r 1

ex cl ud in g Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 as ne ed le ss ly cu m ul at iv e in li gh t o f t h e f a c t th at th e

Gov ern m en t pl an ne d to in tro du ce Exh ib it 46 4 at tri al

. The Gov ern m en t ap pe al s, an d

w e ex erci se ou r juri sd ic ti on ov er th e in te rlo cu to ry ap pe al un de r 18 U.S.C. § 37 3 1

. See Un it ed Sta te s v . Jo hn so n, 2 28 F.3d 92 0, 9 23 -2 4 (8 th Cir . 20 00 ).

As an in it ia l m at te r, we m us t cl ari fy th e sc o p e o f t h e d i st ric t co ur t’s or de r.

Alt ho ug h th e Gov ern m en t arg ue s th at th e di st ric t co ur t’s or de r pr oh ib it s it fro m

pr es en ti ng Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 at tri al

, th e or de r do es no t swe ep th is br oa dl y

. Rat he r, we

read th e co ur t’s or de r to ex cl ud e Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 on ly if Exh ib it 46 4 is al so ad m it te d

in to ev id en ce, in whi ch cas e Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 wou ld li ke ly be cu m ul at iv e an d of li tt le

he lp to th e jury. In th e ev en t th at Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 be co m e m at eri al to an is su e at tri al

, ho wev er, th e di st ric t co ur t’s or de r wou ld no t pr oh ib it th ei r ad m is si on

. Fo r ex am pl e, 2

th e or de r st at es th at if Hul st ei n ob jects to th e ad m is si on of Exh ib i t 4 6 4 “o n

fo un da ti on gro un ds or o th erwi se ,” th e d is tri ct co ur t “ co ul d all ow al l of th e ex hi bi ts

su m m ari zed in Exh ib it 46 4 if ap pr op ria te un de r th e ci rcu m st an ces .” Thi s co nd it io na l

la ng ua ge de m on st r a t e s t h a t th e di st ric t co ur t’s or de r is no t as ab so lu te as th e

Gov ern m en t be li ev es

. The di st ric t co ur t si m pl y ga ve no i n di cat io n th at it wou ld

co nt in ue to ex cl ud e Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 as cu m ul at iv e sh ou ld th e Gov ern m en t ch oo se no t

to su bm it Exh ib it 46 4 or sh ou ld Exh ib it 46 4 no t be ad m it te d. W ere th e co ur t to do

so , th e Su pr em e Co ur t’s ad m on it io n th at th e Gov ern m en t be al lo wed “ to pr ov e it s

cas e by ev id en ce of it s own ch oi ce” wou ld li ke ly be im pl ic at ed

. Old Ch ie f v. Uni te d

St at es , 51 9 U.S. 17 2, 18 7- 89 (1 99 7)

. Bu t we refu se to in fer th at th e di st ric t co ur t ha s

The Hon or ab le Don al d E. O’ Bri en , Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1

Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa

.

Virt ua ll y an y ev id en ti ary ru li ng m ad e by a di st ric t co ur t in res po ns e to a 2

m ot io n in li m in e is su bjec t to po ss ib le ch an ge de pe nd in g on wha t act ua ll y ha pp en s

at tri al . W al zer v . St. J os ep h S ta te Hos p., 2 31 F.3d 11 08 , 11 13 (8t h C ir. 2 00 0)

.

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-ta ke n s uc h a n u nu su al an d d ras ti c st ep in th e ab se nc e of an y ex pr es s i nd ic at io n t ha t

it ha s d on e so

.

Rea di ng th e di st ric t co ur t’s o r d e r i n th is m an ne r, th e co ur t di d no t ab us e it s

di sc ret io n, Uni te d St at es v. Bo es en , 5 41 F.3 d 83 8, 84 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 08 ) (s ta nd ard of

rev ie w )

, i n e xc lu di ng Exh ib it s 1- 46 1, se e Fed

. R. Evi d. 40 3 (“ Alt ho ug h rel ev an t,

ev id en ce m ay be ex cl ud ed if it s pr ob at iv e va lu e is su bs ta nt ia ll y ou t w e i gh ed

. . . by

co ns id erat io ns of un du e de la y , was te of ti m e, or ne ed le ss pr es en ta ti on of cu m ul at iv e

ev id en ce.”)

. The Gov ern m en t’s pr of fere d reas on fo r se ek in g ad m is si on fo r Exh ib it s

1- 46 1 is th at th ey pr ov id e d e t a i l ab ou t “ th e de vo ti on of ti m e, at te nt io n, an d la bo r [Hu ls te in ] ex pe nd ed to th e rep et it iv e pu rch as e an d res al e of fir earm s.” (Ap pe ll an t’s

Br. 11 .) Bu t Exh ib it 46 4 al so pr ov id es si gn ifi can t de ta il reg ard in g th e tra ns act io ns

do cu m en te d in Exh ib it s 1- 46 1, su ch as th e da te each weap on was pu rch as ed or so ld ;

th e na m e, cal ib er, an d m od el nu m be r of each weap on so ld ; th e am ou nt pa id fo r each

weap on ; an d ad di ti on al ex pl an at or y no te s rel at in g to each tra ns act io n. In li gh t of th e

de pt h of in fo rm at io n co nt ai ne d in Exh ib it 46 4, th e di st ri c t c o ur t di d no t ab us e it s

di sc ret io n in te nt at iv el y pr oh ib it in g th e Gov ern m en t fro m pr es en ti ng Exh ib it s 1- 46 1

in ad di ti on to Exh ib it 46 4.

Mo reo ve r, we no te th at al th ou gh Ru le 10 06 of th e Fed eral Ru le s of Evi de nc e

sp eci fic al ly al lo ws fo r th e ad m is si on of su m m ari es si m il a r to Exh ib it 46 4, we ha ve

pr ev io us ly st at ed th at th is ru le “ ap pe ars to co nt em pl at e

. . . th at a su m

m ary wil l be

ad m it te d i n s t e a d of

, no t in ad di ti on to

, th e do cu m en ts th at it su m m ari zes .” Uni te d

St at es v. Grajal es -Mo nt oya, 11 7 F.3 d 35 6, 36 1 (8 th Ci r. 19 97 ). W e ne ed no t ba se ou r

de ci si on on th is pr in ci pl e, ho wev er, be cau se we eas il y co nc lu de th at th e di st ric t co ur t

di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n in ex cl ud in g Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 a s c u m ul at iv e. If th e

Gov ern m en t be li ev es th at Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 are t ru ly inv al ua bl e to it s cas e, it rem ai ns

free to su bm it th es e ex hi bi ts in l i e u o f Ex h ib it 46 4. W ha t it m ay no t do

, ho wev er,

un de r th e di st ric t co ur t’s or de r, is su bm it Exh ib it s 1- 46 1 in ad di ti on to th e su m

m ary

co nt ai ne d i n Ex hi bi t 4 64

.

Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm

th e o rd er o f th e d is tri ct co ur t.

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