Opinion ID: 3037452
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: An interested party may make a written

Text: demand to produce documents for inspection and copying or photographing. This demand: . . . (4) May demand any documents, papers, records, letters, photographs, or other tangible things that are:

possession, custody, or control; and 5820 IN RE: THE ESTATE OF COVINGTON
(c) On his or her own motion, the administrative law judge or Indian probate judge may issue an order to any interested party or custodian of records for the production of material or information that is relevant to the issues and not privileged. . . . 43 C.F.R. § 4.220 (emphasis added). While under § 4.220, the ALJ lacks authority to subpoena privileged materials, the regulation does not specify whether federal or state privilege law applies. The parties agree that if federal evidentiary law applies to these proceedings, § 4.220 would not bar the admission of Covington’s notes.6 Obviously, the first question is whether § 4.232 adopts federal or state evidentiary rules. Second, we must determine whether the relevant source has incorporated the testamentary exception to the attorney-client privilege.