Opinion ID: 2604192
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Unauthorized Persons

Text: I.C. § 19-1111 and I.C.R.6(d) provide that no person other than the grand jurors may be present during deliberations and voting, while only the jurors, prosecutor, witnesses under examination, and an interpreter, if necessary, may be present during any other portion of the proceedings. These sections break down the grand jury proceedings into two parts, deliberative sessions  sessions where the grand jurors are expressing opinions or voting  and nondeliberative sessions  sessions where the evidence is being presented. Edmonson seeks dismissal of the indictments because admittedly, during some nondeliberative sessions two individuals not authorized by the statute and rule were present  a deputy clerk of the district court and an attorney with the Idaho Department of Law Enforcement. Edmonson argues that I.C. § 19-1111 and I.C.R.6(d) were violated, and therefore, the indictment must be dismissed. The purpose of I.C. § 19-1111 and I.C.R.6(d) is quite clear. It is designed to guard the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings and assure that the jurors are free from undue influence and intimidation thereby allowing them to make an independent determination of probable cause. Accordingly, the presence of any unauthorized person which impedes these important functions will require dismissal. However, if an unauthorized person is present, but the grand jury proceedings are free from undue influence, an indictment must be sustained. Recently the United States Supreme Court case addressed a violation of F.R.C.P.6(d) (the federal counterpart to I.C.R.6(d)) and held that any violation of the rule which is harmless will not require dismissal of the indictment. In United States v. Mechanik, 475 U.S. 66, 106 S.Ct. 938, 89 L.Ed.2d 50 (1986), two government witnesses were simultaneously present and testified before the grand jury. This error was not discovered until the actual trial proceedings at which the defendants were convicted. After conviction, the defendants argued that the indictment should be set aside because of the error in the original grand jury proceeding. The United States Supreme Court disagreed, holding that any error from the violation of Rule 6(d) was corrected in the subsequent jury conviction. The Court held that the jury's verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt demonstrated that there was probable cause to charge the defendants with the offenses for which they were convicted. The Court stated: We hold only that however diligent the defendants may have been in seeking to discover the basis for the claim violation of rule 6(d), the petit jury's verdict rendered harmless any conceivable error in the charging decision that might have flowed from the violation. In such a case, the societal costs at retrial after a jury verdict of guilty are far too substantial to justify setting aside the verdict simply because of an error in the earlier grand jury proceedings. Id., 475 U.S. at ___, 106 S.Ct. at 943. Thus, under the federal rule, the presence of an unauthorized person will not render an indictment invalid, if there is sufficient evidence to support a probable cause finding by the grand jury acting independently and free from undue influence. In Idaho, the rule is similar. The presence of unauthorized personnel does not constitute grounds for attacking the validity of an indictment, absent a showing of prejudice. State v. Barber, 13 Idaho 65, 88 P. 418 (1907); Gasper v. District Court, 74 Idaho 388, 264 P.2d 679 (1953). We must inquire whether these two individuals were unauthorized, and if so, whether their presence amounted to prejudice Edmonson. Edmonson contends that the presence in and of itself of both the deputy clerk and the attorney constitutes grounds for dismissing the indictments. He argues that their presence removes from the grand jury the ability to operate in the neutral and detached atmosphere that is required; the subtle influence of the presence of court and state personnel would necessarily affect the ability of the grand jury to calmly and dispassionately consider the case. Here, the deputy clerk was needed to operate the electronic recording equipment, to mark and keep track of exhibits and to perform other administrative and clerical functions. Edmonson has not alleged with any specificity how the court clerk prejudiced the independence and secrecy of the grand jury proceedings. Nor, can we foresee any situation in which the presence of a person marking exhibits would be grounds for overturning a probable cause finding made by the grand jury. Thus, we conclude that the deputy clerk's mere presence will not necessitate dismissal. [2] The attorney with the Department of Law Enforcement was present to assist the Latah County prosecutor in the proceedings before the grand jury. The state, contends, relying on State v. Taylor, 59 Idaho 724, 87 P.2d 454 (1939) that his presence was justified. In Taylor, the indicted defendant challenged the presence of a deputy attorney general during the course of grand jury proceedings. The Court first examined several statutes which authorized the attorney general to exercise supervisory powers over prosecuting attorneys. Relying on these statutes, the Court held that the attorney general's presence before a grand jury would not invalidate an indictment. Id., supra at 731-32, 87 P.2d 454. The attorney general is an extension of the prosecutor, and in effect, an authorized person within the meaning of I.C. § 19-1111 and I.C.R.6(d). Therefore, the presence of the state attorney general will not require a dismissal of the indictment.