Opinion ID: 552386
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Sequestration Issue

Text: 14 Martin argues that by allowing the FBI case agent, Clyde Merryman, to remain in the courtroom while other government witnesses testified, Merryman was able to fill in and explain any gaps in the earlier witnesses' testimony. Thus, Martin contends that if Merryman was allowed to remain, he should have been compelled to be the government's first witness. We disagree. 15 Even before the Federal Rules of Evidence were adopted, the law in this circuit was settled that the case agent may remain in the courtroom even when other witnesses were being sequestered. United States v. Wells, 437 F.2d 1144 (6th Cir.1971). Federal Rule of Evidence 615, which deals with the exclusion of witnesses, provides that the court may not exclude an officer or employee of a party which is not a natural person designated as its representative by its attorney.... The comments to the rules have made clear from the beginning that case agents are intended to be included within this exception. Although we can conceive of a situation in which it would be within the discretion of the trial judge to require a non-sequestered witness to testify first, it is difficult to conceive of a situation in which the failure to do so would be reversible error. The case agent is the prosecutor's information source and even if the agent were excluded, the prosecutor would still have to reveal to him what other witnesses had said and done in order to map out strategy. This would defeat the whole purpose of sequestration. Also, the case agent is frequently not the most important or knowledgeable government witness and to require him to testify first may well make no sense at all. 16 The trial court acted consistent with the mandate of Fed.R.Evid. 615 in refusing to order the sequestration of the case agent.