Opinion ID: 2799555
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Declaration of Mistrial

Text: On the second morning of trial, before any other witnesses testified, the six jurors who had already arrived told the courtroom deputy that “they did not understand Mr. Birch at all” and “could not understand what [Birch] said.” The district court informed the parties and asked if either party had a solution to the “jurors’ inquiry or statement.” The government noted that it was concerned that the jurors’ statement suggested that they had been discussing Birch’s testimony among themselves. The government contended that even having conversations about how Birch testified or how he spoke was a small step toward evaluating his testimony. Despite acknowledging that it might be “excessively cautious,” the government stated that it would agree to a mistrial and to start over with a new jury, particularly because there would not be a great deal of time lost. Washington countered he did not think that a mistrial was appropriate at that time, but “of course would defer to the Court on that issue.” The district court asked Washington if he would agree to the government’s recalling Birch. Washington declined, stating that the government had had its opportunity to deal with any issues surrounding Birch’s testimony and that recall 3 Case: 14-15219 Date Filed: 05/08/2015 Page: 4 of 11 would prejudice Washington.2 The district court highlighted that it had the discretion to allow the government to recall a witness in order to effectively present and ascertain the truth, and Washington’s objection to recalling Birch was “tantamount to agreeing with the Government for a mistrial.” Ultimately, the district court declared a mistrial. Washington objected to the declaration of a mistrial. The district court responded, stating, among other things, that the jury had begun to discuss the case in violation of the court’s order. After the objection, the district court again declared a mistrial, discharged the jury, and informed the parties that a new trial would begin that afternoon.