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 by 9th 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).

T he H onor abl e J os e phi ne S t a t on T uc ke r , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge ** * f orthe C e ntr a l D i s tr i c tof C a l i f orni a , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. 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. R ON DE L L L OV E L E E T H, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 11- 30208 D . C . N o. 3: 10 -c r- 05 53 0-B H S -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 orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on B e nj a m i n H . S e tt l e , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d M a r c h 9, 2012 ** S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B ef ore: P A E Z and M U R G U IA , C i rc ui tJudg es , and T U C K E R , D i stri ctJudg e. *** A ppe l l a ntR onde l l L ove L e e th’ s s upe rvi s e d r e l e a s e w a s r e voke d f orus e of m a r i j ua na . L e e th appe a l s the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s a dm i s s i on of the t e l e phoni c t e s t i m ony 

# FI LED MA R 14 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

of at e c hni c i a n f

r om the l abor a t orytha tt e s t e d A ppe l l a nt ’ s ur i ne s a m pl e s a nd r e port e d pos i t i ve r e s ul t s . A ppe l l a nta s s e rt s tha tthe a dm i s s i on of thi s t e s t i m ony vi ol at ed hi s due proces s r i gh tt o con fr on t at i on un der Morriss eyv. B re w er , 4 0 8 U . S. 471 ( 1972) , a nd tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourte rr e d byf a i l i ng t o e nga ge i n the ba l a nc i ng re qu i re d u nd er U

n ite d S ta te s v . C o m ito , 1 7 7 F .3 d 1 1 6 6 , 1 1 7 0 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ) . W hether adefe nd anthas r ec ei ved d ue proces s a ta r evocat i on hear i ng i s am i xed q u e s tio n o f

la w a n d f

a c t th a t w e r e v ie w d e n o v o . U ni ted Stat es v. P er ez , 526 F . 3d 5 4 3 , 5 4 7 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 8 ) . “A d u e p r o c e s s v io la tio n a t ar e v o c a tio n p r o c e e d in g is subj ec tt o h arm l es s e rr or anal ys i s. ” I d. (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). W e do n o tr e c i t e th e f

a c t s h e r e a s th e y a r e k n o w n t o th e p a rt i e s . W e a f f i rm.

“ [ E ] ve ry r e l e a s e e i s gua r a nt e e d the r i ghtt o c onf r onta nd c r os s - e xa m i ne a dve r s e w i tne s s e s a tar e voc a t i on he a r i ng, unl e s s the gove rnm e nts how s good cause f or no tprod uci ng the w i tness es . ” C o m ito , 177 F . 3d a t1170 ( c i t i ng Morriss eyv. B re w er , 4 0 8 U .S . a t 4 8 9 ) ; s e e al s o Fe d . R. Cr i m. P. 3 2 . 1 ( b ) ( 2 ) ( C) (p ro v i d i n g th ata rel easee i s en t i t l ed t o “ an o p p o rtu n i ty t o . . . q u est i o n an y ad v erse w i tne s s unl e s s the c ourtde t e rm i ne s tha tthe i nt e r e s tof j us t i c e doe s notr e qui r e the w itn e s s to ap p e a r ” ) . W h e n th e r e le a s e e c la im s h e h a s b e e n d e n ie d th e o p p o rtu n ity t o c onf r onta n a dve r s e w i tne s s , w e ba l a nc e the r e l e a s e e ’ s r i ghtt o c onf r ont a t i on a g a in s t th e G o v e rn m e n t’s g o o d c au s e f o rd e n y in g it. U

n ite d S ta te s v . M

a r tin , 9843

F . 2d 30 8, 31 0 (9th C i r. 19 93 ). T hi s bal anci ng proces s i s r equi re d w hen, as here , th e ad m i ssi o n o f t est i m o n y ata rev o cat i o n h eari n g i m p l i cat es th e rel easee’s i n t erest i n f ul l c onf r ont a t i on of

a n a dve r s e w i tne s s , i nc l udi ng the opportuni tyt o obs e rve the w itn e s s ’s d e m e a n o r . C

f . B e l tr an- T

i r ado v . I . N . S. , 21 3 F . 3d 11 79 , 11 85 -86 (9th C i r. 20 00 ) ( re j ec t i ng du e proces s c l ai m re gardi ng adm i ss i on of t el epho ni c t es t i m on y a t ade port a t i on he a r i ng a f t e rw e i ghi ng the c om pe t i ng i nt e r e s t s of a l i e n a nd go vernm ent ). W e nee d n ot , and d o n ot , deci de here w hether the t el epho ni c t es t i m on y w as h e a r s a y . E v e n if

it w a s n o t, w e h o ld th a t C o m ito b a la n c in g w a s r e q u ir e d in th is c a s e b e c au s e th e te le p h o n ic te s tim o n yim p lic a te d L e e th ’s in te r e s t in f u ll c o n f r o n ta tio n . T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt e rr e d b yf a ilin g to e n g a g e in th e r e q u is ite b al an ci n g o f L eeth ’ s ri g h tt o co n fro n t at i o n ag ai n stth e G o v ern m en t ’ s g o o d cau se f o rf a ilin g to p r o d u c e th e te c h n ic ia n in c o u rt. C o m ito , 17 7 F . 3d at11 70 . H ow ever ,

“ [w ] e st i l l m u strev i ew th e u n d erl yi n g q u est i o n t o d et erm i n e i f [L eeth ’ s] confront at i on ri gh t s w er e vi ol at ed. ” I d. H e r e , th e im p o rta n c e o f L e e th ’s in te r e s t in c onf r ont a t i on w a s s i gni f

i c a nt l y l e s s e ne d byhi s opportuni tyt o c r os s - e xa m i ne the tech n ician v ia telep h o n e. A d d it io n ally, th e s cien ti fic n atu re o f th e tec h n ician ’s t es t i m on y perm i tt ed a c re di bi l i ty det erm i nat i on base d o n h ercr edent i al s a s opp osed t o he rde m e a nor . M or e ove r , the t e l e phoni c t e s t i m ony w a s notc r i t i c a l t o the4

out c om e of

the he a r i ng a s the l abor a t oryt e s t i ng w a s m e r e l yc onf i rm a t oryof

pr i or t es t i ng by the U ni t ed S t at es P robat i on O ff i ce . F or i t s part , the G ov ernm entci t ed tw o r e a s ons f

ori ntr oduc i ng t e l e phoni c t e s t i m ony : ( 1) the di s t a nc e be tw e e n the t ec hn i ci an’ s l ocat i on , R i chm on d, V i rgi ni a, and the pl ac e of the heari ng , S ea tt l e, W a s hi ngt on; a nd ( 2) the i nt e rrupt i on t o the t e c hni c i a n’ s w ork. O n ba l a nc e , the G ov ernm ent ’ s goo d cause i n fai l i ng t o p rodu ce the t ec hn i ci an i n cou rtou tw ei gh ed L e e th’ s w e a k i nt e r e s ti n i n- pe r s on c onf r ont a t i on of

the t e c hni c i a n. A l though the d is tr ic t c o u rt c o m m itte d e rr o rb y f a ilin g to e n g a g e in th e r e q u is ite b a la n c in g , th is e rr orw a s ha rm l e s s , a s L e e th’ s due pr oc e s s r i ght s w e r e notvi ol a t e d bythe i n tro d u ct i o n o f t el ep h o n i c t est i m o n y. F i ndi ng tha te xc e pt i ona l c i r c um s t a nc e s a r e pr e s e nt , w e or de rtha tthe m a n d a te s h a ll is s u e f

o rth w ith . See F ed. R . A pp . P . 41 (b); 9th C i r. R . 41 -1 A dv i soryC om m i tt ee N ot e. A FFI R M ED .