Court Opinion

ID: 9460092
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 21:40:23.545656+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:27.615772
License: Public Domain

COFFIN, Chief Judge
(concurring).
While I concur in the decision to affirm, I think it unnecessary at this time for this court to attempt to give content to the Biggers “totality of circumstances” standard for judging the reliability of arguably suggestive out-of-court identifications, when our decision today may rest as easily upon the strength of the in-eourt identification and harmless error. The Biggers formula, as applied by other circuits, is presently wide open, embracing an as yet limitless range of suggestive identifications. See, e. g., United States v. Evans, 484 F.2d 1178 (2d Cir. 1973); Rudd v. Florida, 477 F.2d 805, 807 (5th Cir. 1973). Application here does not add any sense of limits or weights to Biggers’ compendious phrase.