Opinion ID: 1058506
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Transcript of Motion to Suppress

Text: Next, the defendant asserts that the state, in violation of Brady, failed to provide a copy of the transcript from Shipp's hearing on the motion to suppress his statement to police. In that transcript, Shipp averred that his original statement to police was given out of fear that he would be placed in a pod with members of the Traveling Vice Lords. The defendant claims that Shipp's motive of fear in giving the statement was at odds with his alleged noble motive of testifying at trial, which was to tell the truth on my behalf and on behalf of the victim's family. In its order denying the motion for new trial, the trial court found this information would not have affected the verdict. We likewise see little benefit that would have been derived from pointing out to the jury that Shipp's motive for giving the pretrial statement was fear, whereas his alleged motive for testifying at trial was more noble. In fact, it was the defendant's position at trial that the contents of Shipp's pretrial statement, which did not mention any involvement by the defendant, was accurate. Regardless, we conclude this transcript does not meet the Bagley test for materiality. The trial court noted Shipp testified he hoped to gain some favor with the state through his testimony. The trial court found that defense counsel had questioned Shipp extensively regarding inconsistencies between his statement to police and his testimony at trial. Accordingly, we conclude there was no reasonable probability that, had this evidence been disclosed, the result of the proceeding would have been different. See Bagley, 473 U.S. at 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375. The failure to reveal this transcript did not undermine the confidence in the outcome of the trial. Id. [2] The defendant also contends that by failing to provide the transcript to Shipp's suppression hearing at the conclusion of Shipp's testimony, the state violated Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 26.2 by failing to provide what is commonly referred to as Jencks material. [3] Rule 26.2(a) provides that: After a witness other than the defendant has testified on direct examination, the trial court, on motion of a party who did not call the witness, shall order the attorney for the state or the defendant and the defendant's attorney, as the case may be, to produce, for the examination and use of the moving party, any statement of the witness that is in their possession and that relates to the subject matter concerning which the witness has testified. A statement of a witness includes [a] written statement made by the witness that is signed or otherwise adopted or approved by the witness. Tenn. R.Crim. P. 26.2(g). Numerous federal courts have held that prior testimony does not qualify as Jencks material because the witness's statements are a matter of public record. See, e.g., United States v. Chanthadara, 230 F.3d 1237, 1254-55 (10th Cir.2000) (holding that the prior trial testimony of an expert witness was not Jencks material), cert. denied, 534 U.S. 992, 122 S.Ct. 457, 151 L.Ed.2d 376 (2001); United States v. Jones, 160 F.3d 473, 479 n. 5 (8th Cir.1998) (noting that matters of public record do not fall within the scope of the Jencks Act); United States v. Isgro, 974 F.2d 1091, 1095 (9th Cir.1992) (stating that trial testimony is not within the scope of the Jencks Act), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 985, 113 S.Ct. 1581, 123 L.Ed.2d 148 (1993); United States v. Harris, 542 F.2d 1283, 1293 (7th Cir.1976) (same), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 934, 97 S.Ct. 1558, 51 L.Ed.2d 779 (1977). The Tennessee rule is similar to the federal rule. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 26.2. Here the defendant contends he did not have ready access to this transcript. We need not determine this issue. For the same reasons we found the transcript did not meet the materiality test under Bagley, we conclude the defendant was not prejudiced by any alleged violation of Rule 26.2.