Opinion ID: 695500
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Bias of the Trial Court

Text: 15 The appellants point to three instances of bias by the district court that, in their view, denied them a fair trial. We have examined the record in detail and shall discuss each instance briefly. In undertaking this examination, we must remember that the court's statements must be viewed in the context of the entire record. See United States v. Haddon, 927 F.2d 942, 949 (7th Cir.1991).
16 The appellants first invite our attention to the district court's comments during the cross-examination of Suliman Abu Awwad, a former employee of DMI. They submit that they suffered prejudice because the court criticized Mr. Mohammad's counsel in front of the jury and continued the criticism at sidebar. The appellants claim that it was error for the district court to deny the motion for mistrial. In their view, the court's complimentary comments about defense counsel during the sidebar, out of the presence of the jury, did not cure the damage done by its criticism of the attorney in front of the jury. 17 Our review of the course of proceedings in the district court reveals that, although the exchanges between court and counsel certainly were not models deserving of inclusion in a trial advocacy textbook, they could not have had the impact on the jury that the appellants suggest. The district court was concerned that defense counsel's technique would cause undue confusion for the witness as well as the jury. 6 Defense counsel made, at best, a half-hearted effort to conform to the judge's rulings and, in the judge's view, overstepped the bounds by not conforming to the directives of the sidebars and by arguing a point of law before the jury rather than at sidebar. Defense counsel's other remarks, such as noting to the jury that the witness had testified before the grand jury on April Fool's Day, no doubt contributed to the atmosphere in which the court handled the matter. Although the district court's reaction before the jury could have been a bit more measured, we cannot say that its handling of the situation prejudiced the defendants in the eyes of the jury. 18 Exchanges between defense counsel and the court do not by themselves necessarily demonstrate bias. United States v. Centracchio, 774 F.2d 856, 860 (7th Cir.1985). This situation is quite different from the one that confronted the court in United States v. Dellinger, 472 F.2d 340, 386-87 (7th Cir.1972), cert. denied, 410 U.S. 970, 93 S.Ct. 1443, 35 L.Ed.2d 706 (1973). The court's comments cannot be characterized as personal attacks on the defense attorney. When the record is evaluated in its entirety, we cannot say that the jury in this case witnessed the same harshness on the part of the district court toward the defense counsel as was evident in Dellinger. As a general proposition, a judge should be impartial and should reserve criticism for times when the jury is not present. United States v. Kwiat, 817 F.2d 440, 447 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 924, 108 S.Ct. 284, 98 L.Ed.2d 245 (1987). However, the district court also has the responsibility to exercise reasonable control over the interrogation of witnesses. Fed.R.Evid. 611(a). On that judicial officer's shoulders rests the responsibility for the orderly progression of trial. United States v. Blakey, 607 F.2d 779, 788 (7th Cir.1979). Here the district court was obviously attempting to fulfill that responsibility. 7 We cannot say that its efforts exceeded the bounds of discretion.
19 Mr. Mohammad also argues that the court erroneously allowed testimony about his prior conviction by his wife Mariam Saleh. At that point Mr. Mohammad had not yet testified. Mr. Mohammad asserts that this ruling reflected the bias of the court because it allowed the prior conviction to be used as substantive evidence rather than for purposes of impeachment. 8 20 As we noted above in Part II.A.2, when defense counsel objected to the question Mariam, do you remember ... [that] your husband had a problem in the court?, the court called a sidebar and reminded counsel that he had agreed to this line of questioning when it was discussed previously by the parties. Defense counsel then withdrew the objection. The court told the jury that the objection was withdrawn and the examination continued. There was no undue prejudice to Mr. Mohammad.
21 Asad Saleh claims that the court demonstrated its bias against the defense during his cross-examination of another government witness, Mr. Bevis, a Budget truck rental agent. While Mr. Saleh's attorney was cross-examining the witness on the basis of the witness' own records, the court called a sidebar and then ordered a fifteen-minute break so that the witness could straighten out his testimony. Appellants' Br. at 13, citing tr. at 807-13. 9 According to defense counsel, after the recess, the witness came back with new testimony. In Mr. Saleh's view, this crucial ruling against the defense, as well as the court's demeanor while ruling, demonstrated the court's bias against the defense. He insists that, had cross-examination been allowed to continue, the witness would have been impeached in front of the jury. 22 We cannot accept the defense's characterization of the record. During direct examination, Mr. Bevis had testified that eleven rental agreements were executed in May and June of 1991. As the time for recess approached, the court inquired how much longer direct examination would last. When direct examination was concluded, the court asked: Before I break are there going to be cross-examination questions? Mr. Mohammad's lawyer had none; Mr. Asad's lawyer stated he had just a couple. Tr. at 806. The court replied, If you mean that, let's do it now so we can let the witness go before we break. Tr. at 806-07. 23 Mr. Asad's attorney asked for a further explanation of the eleven rentals and suggested that, although there were eleven contracts, only four or five vehicles were rented at a time. The witness would not change his testimony; therefore the attorney said, Well, let's forget about this. He then moved to another issue. At that point the court stopped the cross-examination and called a sidebar. The court stated, I wanted to let this guy go before we broke, and I don't like to interfere, but what he is saying has no basis at all in the facts that you put in evidence.... Tr. at 809. The judge explained that the evidence indicated that defense counsel's approach was right and that the witness' testimony was misleading. He further explained that he did not want the jury spending days looking at the contracts. On that basis he stated in open court, with apologies, that the witness needed to stay, and that there would be a ten-minute recess. Once the jury left, the judge instructed the witness to look again at the contracts. He left it to the attorneys to decide how to clarify the issue. After the recess, the court called for Mr. Saleh's counsel to continue the cross-examination. The witness readily corrected his testimony. Although we do not encourage overactive participation by a trial judge, United States v. Koliboski, 732 F.2d 1328, 1330 (7th Cir.1984), it is very clear that the district court acted well within the bounds of its discretion. Indeed, this intervention substantially undercuts the appellants' claim that the district court was biased against the defense. Here, it was the defense counsel's position that was vindicated.