Opinion ID: 3064941
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Alleged Disparagement of Defense Counsel

Text: [8] According to the defendants, the prosecution improperly disparaged all four defense counsel in closing argument. The remarks the defendants cite, however, do not rise to the level of commentary that we have held to be improper. Rather than accusing the defense of fabricating a story, see United States v. Sanchez, 176 F.3d 1214, 1224 (9th Cir. 1999), or stating that the government, unlike the defense, will ask the jury to consider all the evidence, see United States v. Frederick, 78 F.3d 1370, 1379 (9th Cir. 1996), the prosecutor here merely “attacked the strength of the defense on the merits, not the integrity of defense counsel,” United States v. Bernard, 299 F.3d 467, 487-88 (5th Cir. 2002) (rejecting a challenge to a prosecutor’s closing argument that accused the defense of trying “to get someone on this jury to . . . take a red herring”). We therefore find no misconduct.