Opinion ID: 753758
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Appointing Amelia Barthell as a Court's Witness

Text: 13 French argues that the trial court erred by appointing his daughter, Amelia Barthell, as a witness of the court, and then by orally instructing the jury on how to use Barthell's testimony. French argues that the district judge rejected this argument on the merits using the new AEDPA standards. Even under the pre-AEDPA standard or review, this claim is meritless. 14 The question whether Barthell was properly designated a court's witness is a question of state law. This court is authorized to grant habeas relief only for violations of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a) (1994). French argues that this error deprived him of his right to a fair trial. Interpreting the submissions of a pro se plaintiff liberally, see Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520, 92 S.Ct. 594, 30 L.Ed.2d 652 (1972), we construe French's argument to be that the court's action was a violation of the Due Process Clause. 15 A violation of state law only creates a due process violation when the error creates a serious risk of convicting an innocent person. Eaglin v. Welborn, 57 F.3d 496, 500 (7th Cir.1995). Any error committed by the state court in presenting Barthell as a court's witness or instructing the jury on how to use her testimony did not create a serious risk of convicting an innocent person. At the grand jury, Barthell had testified that she accompanied French and Larson to the Lizzardo Museum, and opened the museum's door for them. At trial, however, she stated that she never went to the Museum. The state had reason to believe that Barthell would contradict her grand jury testimony at trial, and in fact she did do so. Similarly, the instruction on how to use Barthell's testimony did not create a serious risk of convicting an innocent person. The judge told the jury simply that Barthell's inconsistent statements should be considered only in weighing Barthell's testimony, not as evidence against the defendants. See People v. Larson, 82 Ill.App.3d 129, 37 Ill.Dec. 730, 402 N.E.2d 732, 740-41 (Ill.App.Ct.1980). French complains that the judge violated his due process rights by giving the jury the instruction orally, but the Constitution does not require that jurors receive written jury instructions.