Opinion ID: 4310658
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Exclusion of Polygraph Rebuttal Evidence

Text: The defendants next argue that the District Court committed reversible error by preventing Gonzalez from introducing the results of a polygraph examination as rebuttal evidence. They contend that this violated her right to an opportunity to present a meaningful defense under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. They argue that the polygraph rebuttal evidence should not have been excluded because it was relevant, because the polygraph results are admissible under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), and 16 Because we hold that this question was permissible as a “reasonable response” to the questions asked by defense counsel, we need not decide whether this question and response even constitutes vouching due to the fact that neither the prosecuting attorney nor the case agent gave a personal assurance about the credibility of any witness. See Walker, 155 F.3d at 184. 66 because there is no per se rule excluding polygraph results in this Circuit. See United States v. Lee, 315 F.3d 206, 214 (3d Cir. 2003). The defendants contend that this evidence was necessary to rebut the prosecution’s challenges to both Gonzalez’s veracity and the veracity of statements made in another polygraph examination, which was a key part of the defendants’ defamation campaign against Belford. Finally, they contend that the exclusion of this evidence unfairly prejudiced Gonzalez because it hindered her ability to rebut the Government’s assertions that certain statements she made as part of her harassment campaign were false and defamatory. The District Court provided a supplemental opinion in which it explained its decision to exclude this rebuttal polygraph evidence. See App. 62-73. The District Court explained that it could have excluded the evidence on procedural grounds because the defendants did not timely or properly disclose the experts or summaries of the expert reports of those persons who administered this polygraph examination, and previously had informed the Government that they would not be seeking to admit this evidence. However, the District Court instead chose to exclude this evidence on substantive grounds, because it did not find the polygraph results evidence to be reliable, but rather found that the defendants improperly sought to offer it as direct evidence of the defendants’ guilt or innocence. The District Court looked to recent scientific evidence on the reliability of polygraphs examinations, and determined that the scientific consensus reinforced doubts about their reliability. In considering the constitutionality of a rule that operated as a per se exclusion of polygraph evidence, the Supreme Court has held that “[a] defendant’s right to present 67 relevant evidence is not unlimited, but rather is subject to reasonable restrictions.” United States v. Scheffer, 523 U.S. 303, 308 (1998). The Court observed that “federal rulemakers have broad latitude under the Constitution to establish rules excluding evidence from criminal trials,” and that they had “found the exclusion of evidence to be unconstitutionally arbitrary or disproportionate only where it has infringed upon a weighty interest of the accused.” Id. Applying these principles, the Court held that because of concerns over the reliability of polygraph evidence, a per se exclusion of any polygraph evidence did not violate the Constitution. Id. at 311. It determined that a rule excluding polygraph evidence “does not implicate any significant interest of the accused” because in the absence of polygraph evidence, a defendant still maintains the ability to testify on their own behalf and present their own factual evidence. Id. at 316-17. The Court concluded that the exclusion of polygraph evidence does not significantly impair a defendant’s defense, as polygraph evidence is merely “expert opinion testimony to bolster [the defendant’s] own credibility.” Id. at 317. The District Court did not err by excluding Gonzalez’s polygraph evidence. Because a per se rule against polygraph evidence is constitutionally permissible, see id. at 311, then the District Court’s decision to exclude this polygraph evidence after a thorough, well-reasoned, and careful opinion, is certainly not an abuse of discretion. For the reasons articulated in its supplemental opinion, the District Court’s concerns about the polygraph examination’s reliability were sufficient to support its decision to exclude the proffered polygraph rebuttal evidence. Accordingly, we will affirm the District Court’s exclusion of the polygraph evidence. 68