Opinion ID: 784716
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to give an alibi jury instruction

Text: 14 As noted above, because Lillard did not object to the district court's failure to give an alibi instruction at the time of trial, we review this claim for plain error. 15 [B]efore an appellate court can correct an error not raised at trial, there must be (1) error, (2) that is plain, and (3) that affect[s] substantial rights. If all three conditions are met, an appellate court may then exercise its discretion to notice a forfeited error, but only if (4) the error seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. 16 Johnson v. United States, 520 U.S. 461, 466-67, 117 S.Ct. 1544, 137 L.Ed.2d 718 (1997) (clarifying the test in United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993), which applied Fed. R.Crim.P. 52(b)) (internal quotation marks omitted). 17 Several cases of this court establish that an alibi instruction must be given when it is requested by the defendant. See, e.g., United States v. Zuniga, 6 F.3d 569, 570 (9th Cir.1993) (An alibi instruction is critical because a juror, unschooled in the law's intricacies, may interpret a failure to prove the alibi defense as proof of the defendant's guilt. To avoid this possibility, where alibi is the defense, a suitable alibi instruction must be given when requested. ) (internal citation and quotation marks omitted) (emphasis in original); United States v. Mason, 902 F.2d 1434, 1438 (9th Cir.1990) (A defendant is entitled to have the judge instruct the jury on his theory of defense, provided that it is supported by law and has some foundation in the evidence.). Moreover, failure to give a requested alibi instruction, where there is evidence to support it, is per se reversible error. United States v. Hairston, 64 F.3d 491, 495 (9th Cir.1995). 18 No case, however, requires the trial court to give a sua sponte instruction on alibi; on the contrary, our precedent establishes that failure to give an alibi instruction is not error if the defendant did not request such an instruction. See United States v. Loya, 807 F.2d 1483, 1493-94 (9th Cir.1987) (holding that the district court's instruction that the jury need not find the crimes were committed on a certain date did not affect the fundamental fairness of the trial, despite defendants' evidence of alibi, where defendants did not request an alibi instruction); Lewis v. United States, 373 F.2d 576, 579 (9th Cir. 1967) (The last error alleged is that no instruction on alibi was given. The short answer is that none was offered and none requested.... An exception exists in certain cases where the court, of its own volition, must deliver certain instructions; but this is not such a case.); Holm v. United States, 325 F.2d 44, 45 (9th Cir. 1963) ([The defendant] now complains that the trial court failed to give an instruction on the defense of alibi and thus committed reversible error. The answer to that assignment of error is that appellant failed to ask the court to give such an instruction and hence his objection at this time is without merit.). 19 Lillard did not request an alibi instruction. In the absence of a request from the defendant, the omission of an alibi instruction cannot be plain error.