T 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 and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 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. G ERA RD J ERRY SN A PP, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 10- 50043 D . C . N o. 2: 09 -c r- 00 12 2-R Z -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 C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia R a l ph Z a r e f

s ky , M a gi s tr a t e J udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d M a r c h 10, 2011 ** P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: B . F L E T C H E R , R E IN H A R D T , an dW A R D L A W , C i rcu i tJu d g es. G er ar d S napp appeal s hi s c on vi ct i on for vi ol at i ng 16 U . S . C . § 1 53 8(a) (1)( F ), w h ic h m a k e s it u n la w f

u l to “s e ll o ro f

f e rf o rs a le ” a n e n d a n g e r e dw ild lif e s p e c ie s . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n dw e a f f i rm. 

# FI LED

MA R 22 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

T he di stri ctcourtdi d n otabuse i t s di sc re t i on by re j ec t i ng S napp ’ s propo se d j uryi ns truc t i ons a nd i ns t e a d c hoos i ng nott o pr ovi de aj uryi ns truc t i on a s t o the m e a n in g o f

th e te rm “o f

f e rf o rs a le ” a s u s e din th e E n d a n g e r e dS p e c ie s A c t ( E S A ) . Se e U ni te d State s v . I

v e rs on , 1 6 2 F .3 d1 0 1 5 , 1 0 2 2 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ) ( “W h e n as ta tu te d o es n o td efi n e a t erm , w e g en eral l y i n t erp retth att erm b y em p l o yi n g th e o rd i n ary, c o n te m p o r a ry , a n d c o m m o n m e a n in g o f th e w o r d s th a t C o n g r e s s u s e d .” ) ; see a l so U n ite d S ta tes v . So m s a m o u th , 35 2 F . 3d 12 71 , 12 75 (9th C i r. 20 03 ) ( “ ‘ [T ] he di stri ct courtneed no tdefi ne com m on t erm s thatar e r ea di l y und er st andabl e t o the j ury. ’ ”) ( quot i ng U

ni ted States v. Sh ry ock , 34 2 F . 3d 94 8, 98 6 (9th C i r. 20 03 )) . T h e E S A d o e s n o t d e f

in e th e te rm “o f

f e rf o rs a le .” 1 6 U .S .C . § 1 5 3 2 . H ow e ve r , the i m pl e m e nt i ng r e gul a t i ons s upportabr oa d de f i ni t i on bya s s um i ng th a t m o s t a d v e rtis e m e n ts a r e “o f f e r s f o rs a le ” u n d e rth e A c t. See 5 0 C .F .R . § 17 . 21 (f )( 2) (e xp l ai ni ng thatthe proh i bi t i on on offe rs for s al e e xcl ud es a d v e rtis e m e n ts a c c o m p a n ie d b yaw a rn in g th a t n o s a le w ill b e c o n s u m m a te du n til a v a lidp e rm it is o b ta in e d ) . M o r e o v e r , C o n g r e s s in te n d e dth e E S A to s w e e p b r o a d ly in e lim in a tin g th e e x tin c tio n o f e n d a n g e r e ds p e c ie s . Se e B a b b i t t v . Sw e e t Ho me Chapte rof

Cm t ys . f ora G r e at

O r egon , 515 U . S . 687, 698 ( 1995) ( e x p a n s iv e ly i nt erpret i ng E S A t erm s i n l i gh tof the st atut e’ s “ broad p urpo se ” of s avi ng spec i es f r o m e x tin c tio n ) ; T

e n n . V a lle yA u th . v . Hill , 4 3 7 U .S . 1 5 3 , 1 8 4 ( 1 9 7 8 ) ( “T h e p la in3

i nt entof C on gres s i n enact i ng thi s s t atut e w as t o h al tand revers e the tre nd t ow ar d s p e c ie s e x tin c tio n , w h a te v e rth e c o s t.” ) ; T r out U nl i m i te d v . L ohn , 559 F . 3d 946, 949 ( 9th C i r . 2009) ( “ T he E S A ’ s ‘ pr i m a rypurpos e . . . i s t o pr e ve nta ni m a l a nd pl a nts pe c i e s e nda nge rm e nta nd e xt i nc t i on c aus e d bym a n’ s i nf l ue nc e on e c o s y s te m s , a n d to r e tu rn th e s p e c ie s to th e p o in t w h e r e th e ya r e v iab le com po nent s of thei r e cosy st em s. ’ ”) (quo t i ng H . R . R ep. N o. 95 -162 5, at5 (19 78 ), r e p r in te din 1 9 7 8 U .S .C .C .A .N . 9 4 5 3 , 9 4 5 5 ) ( a lte r a tio n in o r ig in a l) . S napp offe rs no l egal supp ortfor i nstruct i ng the j ury on the narrow er defi ni t i on of “ offe r f

or sa l e” i n the R es t at em ent(S ec on d) of C on tra ct s. T he A ct r e a c he s abr oa de rr a nge of c onduc ttha n the c om m e r c i a l c ont e xtc ont e m pl a t e d by the R es t at em ent . S napp m i sr el i es on the rul e of l eni ty, w hi ch “ appl i es on l y w hen the r e i s ‘ gr i e vous a m bi gui tyorunc e rt a i ntyi n the s t a tut e ’ and w he n, ‘ a f t e rs e i z i ng e v e ry th in g f

r o m w h ic h a idc a n b e d e r iv e d , w e c a n m a k e n o m o r e th a n ag u e s s a s to w hatC on gres s i nt ended. ’ ” I v e rs on , 162 F . 3d a t1025 ( quot i ng M uscare l lo v. U ni ted States , 52 4 U . S . 12 5, 13 8 (19 98 )) . F i nal l y, any e rr or w ou l d h ave been harmle ss . T he go vernm enti ntrodu ce d e vi de nc e tha tS napp l i s t e d the e l e pha nts kul l f ors a l e on C r a i gs l i s ta nd c o m m u n ic a te d w ith p o te n tia l b u y e r s in am a n n e re v id e n c in g h is in te n t to c o m p le te4

a transac t i on . T hi s e vi dence w as suff i ci entt o sup po rta gui l ty ver di ctun der S n ap p ’ s p ro p o sed j u ry i n stru ct i o n s. A FFI R M ED .