Opinion ID: 164556
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Mr. Gagan’s Absence from Conference Call

Text: Next, Mr. Gagan claims that his rights were violated because he was not present at the May 22, 2003, conference call between his attorney, the district court judge, and the prosecutor. At that hearing, the judge decided to change the location and scheduling of the competency examination. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 43 requires a defendant to be present at certain stages of the proceedings but not at others: (b) When Not Required. A defendant need not be present under any of the following circumstances: (1) Organizational Defendant. The defendant is an organization represented by counsel who is present. 7 (2) Misdemeanor Offense. The offense is punishable by fine or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, and with the defendant's written consent, the court permits arraignment, plea, trial, and sentencing to occur in the defendant’s absence. (3) Conference or Hearing on a Legal Question. The proceeding involves only a conference or hearing on a question of law. (4) Sentence Correction. The proceeding involves the correction or reduction of sentence under Rule 35 or 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c). Fed. R. Crim. P. 43(b) (emphasis added). Although Rule 43 does not specifically address the circumstances here, the May 22, 2003, conference call bears more resemblance to a conference or hearing on a legal question, at which the defendant’s presence is not required, than to any of the proceedings at which a defendant’s presence is required. See id. at 43(a). Prior to the conference call, the district court had already conducted a hearing and ordered the psychological evaluation, and Mr. Gagan has made no claim that he was not present at that proceeding. The purpose of the conference call was merely to address the location and scheduling of the evaluation. Additionally, Mr. Gagan’s counsel was present for the conference call, and he specifically raised Mr. Gagan’s objections to the competency evaluation in general as well as his objections to being evaluated at a different location. Tr. of Hr’g on Competency Examination, at 13-14. Therefore, we conclude that Mr. Gagan’s rights were not violated by his absence from the conference call.