Opinion ID: 324542
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Procedural Context of McCord's Claims of Error.

Text: 4 On June 8, 1973, better than four months after his conviction and five months before his sentence, McCord moved the District Court for relief 'in the nature of' a writ of error coram nobis, seeking a new trial on various grounds and also, in the alternative, a judgment of acquittal. 5 While coram nobis is available to McCord in these circumstances, 6 we take, as does the Special Prosecutor, the part of his motion requesting a new trial on the basis of newly discovered evidence as filed under Fed.R.Crim.P. 33 since that Rule permits such a motion within two years of final judgment and may involve a lesser standard of proof than coram nobis. 7 The writ is available for that part of McCord's motion seeking a new trial on grounds other than newly discovered evidence or alternatively a judgment of acquittal. 8 However, we construe McCord's major arguments for acquittal as directed to defects in the indictment and thus actually request a dismissal of the indictment and not technically a judgment of acquittal. We see no reason in the nature of coram nobis or the principle of collateral relief generally which would prevent coram nobis from being used to obtain dismissal of an indictment. Accordingly, we hold that the writ may be properly used to seek dismissal of McCord's indictment. 9 McCord also appeals from the judgment of guilty and sentence entered on November 9. 5 With the exception of the claims discussed in Part III infra, McCord did not raise any of the claims at trial that he now presses in this appeal. Thus, we cannot decide these claims on McCord's appeal from his sentence unless we find that the District Court's failure to rule on these claims on its own motion was plain error. 10 The individual views of the author of this opinion on the plain error rule are set out in the margin.  These various claims, which McCord asserts now on appeal, could be reached under the writ of error coram nobis. However, coram nobis, like § 2255 and the writ of habeas corpus, may collaterally attack only constitutional or jurisdictional errors or serious defects in the trial either not correctible on direct appeal or where exceptional circumstances justify the failure to appeal on those grounds. 11 Here McCord does appeal on the appropriate grounds but he cannot have us hear the appeal unless the claim is plain error since he did not raise the claims below. In order to accommodate the pendency of the appeal and the claim for collateral relief, we apply similar standards to determine whether a claim of error should be reached under principles of plain error and whether that claim may be reached under principles applicable to collateral relief. 12 This ruling relates to a consolidated appeal and is not intended as an en banc ruling that any error that might have been noticed on the direct appeal under the plain error rule as a ground for reversal also warrants the granting of relief on collateral attack. A conceptually distinct issue is whether McCord has deliberately by-passed his remedies at trial or waived his claim to relief at trial such that he cannot press such a claim on his appeal or in his petition for collateral relief. 13 6