Opinion ID: 295786
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Preserve Testimony.

Text: 7 Defendants next ask that the indictment be dismissed because the Government failed to record and preserve the testimony of witnesses before the Grand Jury. They argue that such a requirement is necessary in order to implement the right of a defendant to access to a witness' grand jury testimony on subjects about which he subsequently testifies at trial. See United States v. Amabile, 395 F.2d 47, 53 (7th Cir. 1968), certiorari denied, 39 U.S.L.W. 3361. 8 The basic rules relating to federal grand juries are set forth in Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Rule 6(d) presently permits, but does not demand, the presence of a stenographer for the purpose of recording evidence. This approach, though justifiably criticized on several grounds, has nevertheless been uniformly observed by other Circuits. See Schlinsky v. United States, 379 F.2d 735, 740 (1st Cir. 1967); United States v. Cianchetti, 315 F.2d 584, 591 (2d Cir. 1963); United States v. Kind, 433 F.2d 339, 340 (4th Cir. 1970); Baker v. United States, 412 F.2d 1069, 1073 (5th Cir. 1969), certiorari denied, 396 U.S. 1018, 90 S.Ct. 583, 24 L.Ed.2d 509; United States v. Hensley, 374 F.2d 341, 352 (6th Cir. 1967); United States v. Franklin, 429 F.2d 274, 276 (8th Cir. 1970); United States v. Ybarra, 430 F.2d 1230, 1233 (9th Cir. 1970); McCaffrey v. United States, 372 F.2d 482, 484 (10th Cir. 1967), certiorari denied, 387 U.S. 945, 87 S.Ct. 2078, 18 L.Ed.2d 1332. 1 While we agree that the preservation of grand jury testimony is the wise practice, we are presently unwilling to bind the various district courts of this Circuit to such a practice. Rather, we will rely upon the individual district courts to exercise their local rule-making powers in this area pending any amendment to Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. 2 9