Opinion ID: 172534
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Hold a Pre-Dismissal Hearing

Text: Mr. Williams further argues that he was entitled to a hearing before his indictment was dismissed without prejudice, relying on the Ninth Circuit's decision in United States v. Delgado-Miranda , which mandated such a hearing. See United States v. Delgado-Miranda, 951 F.2d 1063, 1064 (9th Cir.1991). We find no reversible error. We have not decided whether a defendant has a right to a hearing before a district judge dismisses an indictment for a Speedy Trial Act violation, and we need not answer that question here. We conclude that any error in failing to hold such a hearing was harmless; that is, there is no indication that had a hearing been held, the district judge would have dismissed the case with prejudice. See Fed. R.Crim.P. 52(a) (Any error, defect, irregularity, or variance that does not affect substantial rights must be disregarded.); Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1, 7, 119 S.Ct. 1827, 144 L.Ed.2d 35 (1999) (explaining that Rule 52(a) applies to all but a limited class of fundamental constitutional errors). As explained above, the factors the district judge was required to consider in making his decision to dismiss with or without prejudice weighed heavily in favor of dismissal without prejudice. Moreover, Mr. Williams fails to point to any facts that the district judge was not already aware of that he would have attempted to establish at a hearing. Under these facts, we are convinced that the district judge's decision to forgo a pre-dismissal hearing, if erroneous, was harmless.