Opinion ID: 759769
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Denial Of An Interpreter From The Start Of The Trial

Text: 53 Abdullah also claims the district court erred in not allowing him the use of an interpreter until the fifth day of trial. The defendant mischaracterizes the district judge's ruling on this matter, however. At the close of testimony offered at a suppression hearing held ten months prior to trial, the district court made a factual finding that Abdullah was able to communicate knowingly and intelligently with law enforcement officials at the time he granted consent to search the storage locker rented by him. The judge then explained: 54 Now, if the defendant wants to bring an interpreter for trial, he is perfectly--I am perfectly willing to have him do so. I don't feel that I have the necessity to do that now because the testimony I have heard and because of the circumstances surrounding him. I think he understands the English well enough that I don't have to have an interpreter. However, if the defendant wants to have one, it's his business and he may have one. But I wanted the record to be absolutely clear of my position on the interpreter and his ability to have understood the language of the officers. 55 In fact, Abdullah did procure, at his own expense, the services of an interpreter for all but the first four days of his trial. Given the finding by the district judge concerning the defendant's ability to understand English, the lack of clear error in that finding, the fact that Abdullah did not renew his request for an interpreter until the fifth day of trial, defense counsel's refusal to agree to a mistrial based upon the lack of interpretive assistance, and the fact that the defendant did have the assistance of such an interpreter for the all those legal proceedings he wished, we are not convinced that Abdullah was denied a fair trial on this basis.