### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS FORTHEFIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 07- 60732

UN I TE D S TA TE S OF AM ERI CA P l ai n t i f f

- A pp el l e e v. J AM ES F ORD S EAL E D efen d a n t- A p p ell a n t

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f or th e Sou t h ern D i st ri ctof M i ssi ssi pp i , Jackson D ivi si on U S D C N o . 3 :07 -C R -9 -1

Be fo r e J ONES, Ch i e f J u d g e , KI NG, J OLLY, DAVI S , S M I TH, W I ENER, BA RK SD AL E, G AR ZA, D e M O SS, BE N AV I D ES, STE W AR T, D EN N I S, C L E M E N T , P R A D O , O W E N , E L R O D , S O U T H W IC K , a n dH AY N E S , C ir c u it Ju dg es. P E R C U R IA M: B y reason of

an equ al l y divi ded en ban c court, t h e deci si on of t h e di st ri ct
c o ur ton t he so l e i s s ue of i t s deny i ng di s m i s s alof t he i ndi c t m e ntbe c aus e o f t he
r u n n i n go f

t h e s t a t u t e o f

l i mi t a t i o n s i s A F F I RMED. Th e app eali s R E T U R N E D to th e p a n e l f or deci si on of

t h e ot h er i ssues r a is e do n a p p e a l. United States Court of App eals Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D June 5, 20 09 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 07- 60732

2 D eM O SS , C i r c ui tJudge, di ss ent i ng: F o r th e r e a s o n s s ta te d in th e u n a n im o u s p a n e l o p in io n p r e v io u s lyfile din th is a p p e a l, se e Un itedS ta tes v. S ea le , 542 F
. 3d103 3 ( 5th C i r. 200 8) , Idi sagree w it h th o s e m e m b e r s o f th e e n b a n c c o u r t w h o v o t e d t o a ff ir m t h e d is t r ic tc o u r t ’s den i alof

Sea l e’ s m ot i on t o di sm i ss t h e i n di ct m en ton l i m i t ati on s groun ds. Bot h t he Supr e m e Cour ta nd thi s c i r c ui tha ve he l d t hatw he n t he
a p p e lla te co u r t is e v e n lyd iv id e do n a n is s u e , t h e ju d g m e n t o f th e lo w e rco u r t is “aff i rm ed
. ” Se eS c h. B d. of R i c hm o nd, V

a. v . S t at eB d. of

E duc
. of

Va. , 41 2 U
. S. 9 2 , 9 3 (1 9 7 3 ) (p e rcu r ia m ); Un i t ed S t ate s v. Ki rk , 105 F
. 3d 997 , 998 (5 th C i r. 1 9 9 7 ) (e n b a n c ); Un i t ed S t ate s v. Iba rra , 965 F
. 2d135 4, 135 7 ( 5th C i r. 199 2) ( en b a n c )

. T h e u s e o f

t h e t e r m “ a f

f i r me d ” i s s o me wh a tm i s l e a d i n g . T h e S u p r e me C ou rtha s descr ibedt h i s nom i n alaf f i rm an ce as f

ol l ow s: In cases of

app ealor w ritof

err or in t h i s c ou rt , t h e app el l an tor pl ai n t i f f in error i s al w ays the m ovi n g pa rt y. I ti s af f i rm ative act i on w h i ch h e asks. Th e qu est i on presented i s, shallt h e ju d gm en t , or decree, be revers ed? I f t h e j u dg es are divi ded , the reversalcann ot b e h a d , f

o rn o o r d e r c a n b e ma d e . T h e j u d g me n to f t h e c o u r tb e l o w, th e r e fo r e , st a n d s infu ll fo r c e . Itis , in d e e d , th e s e tt le dp r a c tic e in s uc h c as e t o e nt e raj udg m e nto f a f f i r m anc e ; b utthis i s o nl y t he m o s t c o n v e n ie n t m o d e o f e x p r e s s in gt h e fa c t t h a t t h e ca u s e is fin a lly di s po s e d o f

i n c o nf o r m i t y w i t h t he a c t i o n o f t he c o ur tb e l o w , a nd t h at th at c ou rtcan p roceed t o enfor ce it s j u dg m en t
. Th e l egal ef fect w o ul d b e t he s am e if t he a ppe al , o rw r i to f e r r o r , w e r e di s m i s s e d. D u ran tv. Essex Co. , 7 4 U .S . (7 W a l l .) 1 0 7 , 1 1 2 (1 8 6 8 ); seealso Nei lv. B iggers , 4 0 9 U .S . 1 8 8 , 1 9 1 -9 2 (1 9 7 2 ); O h i o ex rel
. Eaton v. Pri ce , 364 U
. S. 263, 263- 64 ( 196 0) (“ [T ] h i s c ase i s bei n g af f i rm ed ex n ecess i t ate, by an equ al l y divi ded C our t
. ” )

. I n l i ghtof

t he f or goi ng, t he useof

t he ter m “ af

f i r m ed” s houl d notbe
co ns t r ue d t o m e an t hatt he e n b ancc o ur ta ppr o ve s o f t he r e as o ni ng o f

t he d is tr ic t c o u r t. S ee Un itedS tate s v. Mend oza- G on zalez , 3 1 8 F .3 d6 6 3 , 6 6 7 n .5 ( 5t h C i r . 2003) (“ D ec i si ons by an equal l y divi ded e n banc c our thave no val ue as b in d in gp re ce d e n t.”)

.