Opinion ID: 550849
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury's request to rehear witnesses's testimony

Text: 15 During its deliberation, the jury sent a note requesting review of the tape of Dickens' testimony. The court responded: In response to your question, you have heard and seen all of the evidence and I have given you the court's instructions 1 through 34, on the law in this case. Continue your deliberations. Petitioner argues that it was reversible error for the judge to deny the jury's request to rehear Dickens' testimony, because she was the only eyewitness in the case. Additionally, petitioner contends that rehearing the testimony would have taken less then one hour. 16 Whether or not to allow the jury to rehear testimony is a decision purely within the court's discretion. United States v. Keskey, 863 F.2d 474 (7th Cir.1988). The standard of review for such a decision is an abuse of discretion. Id. Here there is no evidence in the record disclosing the court's reason for denying the jury's request. However, this is an area in which we do not consider it essential for the record to disclose the basis for the decision. United States v. McCoy, 517 F.2d 41, 45 (7th Cir.1975), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 895 (1975). Despite the court's bare response to the jury's request, we are confident that he was cognizant of his discretionary ability to determine whether it was necessary to allow the jury to rehear the testimony. Id. In any event, a judge can follow a practice of routinely denying jury requests to rehear testimony during deliberations, absent a showing of extraordinary need. Id. The record does not disclose an extraordinary showing of need. Thus, the court did not abuse its discretion in denying the jury's request to rehear Dickens' testimony.