Opinion ID: 608959
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: failure to ascertain mejia's consent to the stipulation

Text: 33 Mejia also contends that the trial court erred in failing to determine on the record that Mejia understood and voluntarily consented to a stipulation entered into by his trial counsel and the government. In the stipulation, which was discussed in open court at some length and then read into the record, Mejia's trial counsel agreed that the substance found in Mejia's car on September 8, 1990, was heroin and that the weights in the laboratory report were accurate. Mejia was in court during the discussion and introduction of the stipulation. The record reflects that Mejia speaks and understands a small amount of English and that he had an interpreter present during at least part of the trial. Mejia never objected to the stipulation. 34 However, Mejia did not sign or in any other way expressly assent on the record to the stipulation. 12 Because Count II charged Mejia with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of heroin was a fact essential to the proof of the crime. Mejia contends that because the stipulation constituted a waiver of his right under In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 90 S.Ct. 1068, 25 L.Ed.2d 368 (1970), to have the government prove every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt, the court should have determined on the record whether Mejia understood and voluntarily entered into the stipulation. 35 Because Mejia did not object to the stipulation at trial, we review only for plain error. United States v. Herndon, 982 F.2d 1411, 1416 (10th Cir.1992). 36 Certainly, we would prefer that a district court address the defendant directly before accepting a stipulation that goes to one or more elements of the government's case in order to ascertain whether the defendant understood the stipulation and entered it voluntarily, and to determine whether the stipulation has a factual basis. Herndon, 982 F.2d at 1418. However, we have held that a district court's failure to do so does not constitute plain error, nor does it deprive the defendant of due process, at least where the defendant was present in court and represented by counsel at the time of the stipulation. Herndon, 982 F.2d at 1418. On the facts of this case, we hold that Mejia's due process rights to a fair trial were not violated when the district court accepted the stipulation and read it to the jury without establishing more explicitly that Mejia understood it and agreed with it. 13