Opinion ID: 197677
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Appellant's Constitutional Challenge.

Text: 28 In this case, the record reveals that the prosecution made reasonable and diligent efforts to secure the appellant's attendance at Redpath's deposition: it offered to defray the cost of transporting the appellant and his counsel to the deposition and requested that British authorities accept temporary custody of him to ensure his presence. Only a lack of cooperation by the host nation stymied the appellant's appearance, and the Justice Department was powerless to coerce British assistance. The appellant points to nothing more that the prosecution plausibly could have done to facilitate a face-to-face confrontation. What is more, when the British authorities balked, Judge Keeton fashioned a reasonable alternative, and the prosecution provided the requisite telephonic links between the appellant's prison cell and the Solihull Magistrates' Court. Under the prevailing circumstances, the government's efforts to secure (or, alternatively, to approximate) a face-to-face confrontation were constitutionally adequate. 29 This finding, in itself, does not defeat the appellant's constitutional challenge. Face-to-face confrontation in a courtroom setting has yet another virtue; it permits the trier of fact better to observe a witness's demeanor. See Craig, 497 U.S. at 846, 110 S.Ct. at 3163-64; Drogoul, 1 F.3d at 1552. Like the right of confrontation itself, however, this value is not absolute. Thus, even when a witness is unavailable to testify at trial, the Clause countenances the admission of certain extrajudicial statements as long as they possess sufficient indicia of reliability. See Roberts, 448 U.S. at 65-66, 100 S.Ct. at 2538-39; Puleio v. Vose, 830 F.2d 1197, 1205 (1st Cir.1987). 30 For this purpose, [r]eliability can be inferred without more in a case where the evidence falls within a firmly rooted hearsay exception. Roberts, 448 U.S. at 66, 100 S.Ct. at 2539. So it is here: Fed.R.Evid. 804(b)(1) limns a hearsay exception for former testimony of an unavailable witness. This exception's roots are deeply embedded in American jurisprudence. See, e.g., Mattox v. United States, 156 U.S. 237, 240-44, 15 S.Ct. 337, 338-40, 39 L.Ed. 409 (1895). Consistent with this tradition, courts seem disinclined to find any Confrontation Clause transgression when the prosecution offers deposition testimony under this rule. See, e.g., Ecker v. Scott, 69 F.3d 69, 71 (5th Cir.1995); Kelly, 892 F.2d at 261-62; Salim, 855 F.2d at 954-55. We join these courts and hold that evidence properly within the former testimony hearsay exception is, by definition, not vulnerable to a challenge based upon the Confrontation Clause. 31 To bring Redpath's testimony within the protective embrace of this holding, the government had to make a threshold showing (1) that the witness was unavailable, and (2) that the deposition constituted former testimony. The appellant contests both points. 32 The standard test for unavailability is whether the witness's attendance could be procured by process or other reasonable means. Fed.R.Evid. 804(a)(5). In a criminal context, however, Confrontation Clause concerns color the Rule 804 availability inquiry and heighten the government's burden. See Ecker, 69 F.3d at 71-72. Thus, the prosecution must actively attempt to secure the witness's presence at trial. See Christian, 41 F.3d at 467. Here, as we noted above, the government made an assiduous effort to convince Redpath to attend the trial. We fail to discern any further action that the prosecutor reasonably could have taken to bring the witness before the jury. 33 The remaining question is whether Redpath's deposition amounted to former testimony within the purview of Fed.R.Evid. 804(b)(1). The appellant's objection on this score is a bare assertion that the method of transcribing the proceeding was slow and inexact. 2 We must balance this complaint against the dominant characteristics of the deposition, namely, the administration of an oath; unlimited direct and cross-examination by attorneys for all parties; the ability to lodge objections; oversight by a judicial officer; the compilation of the transcript by a trained solicitor; and the lack of a language barrier. 34 To be sure, the deposition did not comport in all respects with American practice, but that circumstance alone does not render the testimony not in compliance with law and therefore beyond the reach of Rule 804(b)(1). We agree with the Second Circuit that unless the manner of examination required by the law of the host nation is so incompatible with our fundamental principles of fairness or so prone to inaccuracy or bias as to render the testimony inherently unreliable, ... a deposition taken ... in accordance with the law of the host nation is taken 'in compliance with law' for purposes of Rule 804(b)(1). Salim, 855 F.2d at 953. The British proceeding substantially jibes with our practice and thus satisfies the rule. 35 The appellant's final plaint is that the Redpath deposition was not videotaped. History undermines this plaint. The former testimony exception to the Confrontation Clause predates the development of videotaping technology by nearly a century. See Mattox, 156 U.S. at 240-44, 15 S.Ct. at 338-40. Thus, the exception obviously does not envision the need to present the trier of fact with a video recording of the declarant's testimony. In a case like this one--where the host nation prohibits videotaping--the district court's refusal to condition its authorization of the deposition on the use of such a technique did not offend the Constitution. 36 We hasten to add, however, that our opinion should not be read to discourage the use of videotaped depositions in this type of situation. Having the trier of fact observe the testimonial demeanor of the witness enhances important Confrontation Clause values, including the perception of fairness in criminal trials. See Craig, 497 U.S. at 846, 110 S.Ct. at 3163-64; Coy, 487 U.S. at 1018-20, 108 S.Ct. at 2801-03. For these reasons, although videotaping is not constitutionally required, we urge the district courts, if videotaping is feasible, to give serious consideration to granting defendants' requests to employ the technique. 37 To sum up, the Redpath deposition satisfies the Rule 804(b)(1) standard. Moreover, the very characteristics which contribute to that conclusion--e.g., administration of an oath; unlimited direct and cross-examination; ability to lodge objections; oversight by a judicial officer; compilation of the transcript by a trained solicitor; and linguistic compatibility--also provide sufficient indicia of reliability to assuage any reasonable Confrontation Clause concerns. See Roberts, 448 U.S. at 66, 100 S.Ct. at 2539; Salim, 855 F.2d at 954-55. The district court did not err in admitting the deposition testimony into evidence.