Opinion ID: 580904
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: United States v. Jennings

Text: 3 Defendants Dirk Francis Jennings and John Daniel Cornwell, Jr., were indicted by a grand jury for the Southern District of California on August 3, 1990 on four counts of conspiracy to import a controlled substance, 21 U.S.C. § 952; importation of narcotics, 21 U.S.C. §§ 960, 963; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, 18 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 846; and aiding and abetting a felony, 18 U.S.C. § 2. On September 10, 1990 Cornwell's attorney filed motions for discovery and to suppress evidence, and Jennings' counsel followed with similar motions, including one asking for an order requiring the AUSA prosecuting the case to personally review the personnel files of all law enforcement officers expected to testify at trial. The government opposed these motions. 4 Relying on its supervisory power, the district court on August 12, 1991 granted Jennings' motion and required the prosecutor to undertake a personal review of agent personnel files. After the government moved for reconsideration, the court held an evidentiary hearing and subsequently modified its order to eliminate a requirement that the AUSA review the files of local and state law enforcement officers. However, the court declined to modify the requirement that the AUSA personally review the files of federal law enforcement agents; the court did limit the provision's scope by authorizing the AUSA to review photocopies of the non-biographical portions of the personnel files. On October 29, 1991 the government informed the court that it would decline to follow this order and would appeal. The district court then granted the joint request of the government and defense counsel to suppress the testimony of federal law enforcement witnesses for which no personal file review would occur. The government filed its timely notice of appeal on October 30, 1991.