Opinion ID: 539182
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Propriety of Ruling Prior to Trial

Text: 101 Berrio's contention that it was improper for the district court to rule on the government's preclusion motion prior to trial need not detain us long. The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure allow pretrial motions seeking limitations on the evidence to be offered at trial, and the district judge may rule on such a motion prior to trial so long as it is capable of determination without the trial of the general issue. Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(b); see Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(e). These provisions authorize the court to rule on a motion to preclude a defendant from presenting a duress defense where the government contends that the evidence in support of such a defense would be legally insufficient. See, e.g., United States v. Alicea, 837 F.2d 103, 107 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 109 S.Ct. 88, 102 L.Ed.2d 64 (1988); United States v. Bifield, 702 F.2d 342, 346 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 931, 103 S.Ct. 2095, 77 L.Ed.2d 304 (1983). The court does not, in ruling on the motion, decide the merits of the defense except to determine whether there is sufficient evidence as a matter of law, to permit the question to be submitted to the jury. If the defendant can make a prima facie showing as to each of the elements of a duress defense, see Part II.D.2. below, the court merely denies the motion to preclude and allows the question to be submitted to the jury. Where the evidence to be presented would be insufficient as a matter of law, however, no proper interest of the defendant would be served by permitting his legally insufficient evidence to be aired at trial, and interests of judicial economy suggest that the jury should not be burdened with the matter. These principles neither foreclose a defendant from presenting any legally sufficient evidence of duress at trial nor affect his right to present evidence on any other subject. See, e.g., United States v. Alicea, 837 F.2d at 107 (only evidence as to the asserted defense is precluded); United States v. Bailey, 444 U.S. 394, 416, 100 S.Ct. 624, 638, 62 L.Ed.2d 575 (1980); United States v. Bifield, 702 F.2d at 350. 102 Accordingly, the district court in the present case properly ruled prior to trial on whether or not the defendants' proposed duress defenses could be deemed sufficient as a matter of law, and whether, therefore, they should be allowed to present such defenses to the jury.