Opinion ID: 222920
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Special Credibility Instruction

Text: Johnson next argues that the district court erred by failing to instruct the jury that two of the witnesses against Johnson had received benefits from the government because they had not been charged with possession of cocaine in exchange for their testimony and were hoping that by testifying they would not be charged. The district court is in the best position to assess the risk of unreliable testimony, and therefore we leave the decision regarding credibility instructions to the district court's discretion. United States v. Tavarez, 626 F.3d 902, 904 (7th Cir.2010). It is well established in this circuit that general credibility instructions highlighting the possibility of bias are generally adequate, and thus that special credibility instructions are not required as a matter of course. United States v. Cook, 102 F.3d 249, 251-52 (7th Cir.1996). While we have never ruled out the possibility that some circumstances may demand special credibility instructions, we addressed, and rejected, arguments very similar to Johnson's in United States v. Jordan, 223 F.3d 676, 692 (7th Cir.2000), and Cook, 102 F.3d at 251-52. Absent any special factors distinguishing this case, we have no reason to revisit the issue here.