Opinion ID: 77711
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony of Special Agent Marcia Fox

Text: 25 Douglas next argues that the district court improperly denied him the right to call Fox to testify in person about the sketch of Young's vehicle that showed a latent fingerprint on the dashboard. Douglas argues that this violated his constitutional right to present a complete defense and his right to hold the government to its burden of proof. 26 As an initial matter, we note that Douglas failed to object to the district court's denial of his request to subpoena Fox to appear in person. Where the defendant failed to raise a constitutional claim in the district court, we review for plain error. United States v. Camacho-Ibarquen, 410 F.3d 1307, 1315 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 546 U.S. 951, 126 S.Ct. 457, 163 L.Ed.2d 347 (2005). We will correct plain error only where (1) there is an error; (2) the error is plain or obvious; (3) the error affects the defendant's substantial rights in that it was prejudicial and not harmless; and (4) the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of a judicial proceeding. United States v. Chisholm, 73 F.3d 304, 307 (11th Cir.1996). 27 A defendant's right to present relevant evidence is not absolute, but rather is subject to reasonable restrictions. See Taylor v. Illinois, 484 U.S. 400, 410-11, 108 S.Ct. 646, 654, 98 L.Ed.2d 798 (1988) (The principle that undergirds the defendant's right to present exculpatory evidence is also the source of essential limitations on the right . . . . The trial process would be a shambles if either party had an absolute right to control the time and content of his witnesses' testimony.). A defendant's interest in presenting such evidence may `bow to accommodate other legitimate interests in the criminal trial process.' Rock v. Arkansas, 483 U.S. 44, 55, 107 S.Ct. 2704, 2711, 97 L.Ed.2d 37 (1987) (quoting Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284, 295, 93 S.Ct. 1038, 1046, 35 L.Ed.2d 297 (1973)). 28 Here, the questionable value of Fox's testimony, her location in Maryland, the delay that would have resulted, and the fact that her telephone testimony merely reiterated what had previously been stated by two government witnesses at trial, support a conclusion that the district court properly denied Douglas's request. In this case, however, it is not necessary that we decide whether the trial court acted appropriately in denying Douglas's request because, under the third prong of the plain error test, Douglas cannot show that the district court's decision affected his substantial rights because, after a thorough review of the record as a whole, we conclude that there is other overwhelming evidence of guilt. Furthermore, Douglas has not demonstrated that had Fox testified face-to-face, the result in this case would have been altered.