Opinion ID: 2277488
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the Inquiry

Text: Wilson contends that the trial judge failed to conduct a sufficient inquiry before ruling on invocation of the Fifth Amendment. We do not agree. Although a criminal defendant has the absolute right not to testify, a witness may invoke the privilege only as to those specific questions to which his answers would incriminate him. Vaughn v. United States, 364 A.2d 1187, 1189 (D.C. 1976); (Gene) Reese v. United States, 467 A.2d 152, 157 (D.C.1983); United States v. (Thomas E.) Reese, 183 U.S.App.D.C. 1, 6, 561 F.2d 894, 899 (1977). When a Fifth Amendment claim is asserted by someone other than a defendant, the court must ordinarily permit examination of the witness (out of the presence of the jury in a jury trial) and rule on the claim of privilege one question at a time. Davis, supra, 482 A.2d at 785. In the present case, however, the sole purpose of defense counsel's proposed inquiry was to prove that Wilson did not do it, Lee did. Every potential question was directed to that end. Only one of the two men stole the compact discs. Any answer that tended to make it less likely that Wilson was the thief would necessarily have a corresponding tendency to inculpate Lee. When it is evident to the court from all of the circumstances that anything less than a blanket privilege will not protect the witness, then it is unnecessary to require him to invoke the privilege question by question. Jackson, supra, 490 A.2d at 196. At the time the trial judge made her ruling in this case, Wilson could still be acquitted. No one could anticipate whether the government witnesses would identify Lee as the thief when confronted with him in the courtroom. The potential for incrimination was obvious, and no question by question inquiry was required.