Court Opinion

ID: 9473827
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:40:40.929175+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:43:45.230022
License: Public Domain

ARNOLD, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I join the Court’s opinion, but desire to add a few words of explanation with respect to the issue of venue.
Venue in a criminal case is a constitutional right. It is also a question of fact which should be submitted to the jury. United, States v. Jackalow, 1 Black 484, 17 L.Ed. 225 (1862); United States v. Black Cloud, 590 F.2d 270 (8th Cir.1979). Here, as the Court says, “[vjenue was in issue in the district court.” Ante, at 461. Furthermore, the verdict of guilty as to the offenses charged does not, as a logical matter, necessarily include a determination that anything was done in Minnesota. Ibid. Therefore, “the jury should have been afforded the opportunity to make a finding of proper venue. This is not a case where proof of the charges necessarily resulted in a finding of proper venue.” Id. at 462.
It is nevertheless true, as the Court points out, that the evidence of activities in Minnesota was overwhelming and uncontradicted. As a practical matter, the chance that this jury could have disbelieved the evidence that one or more overt acts were committed in Minnesota, while still returning a guilty verdict, approaches zero. In this situation, I believe that United States v. Netz, 758 F.2d 1308 (8th Cir.1985) (per curiam), requires us to affirm. There, the venue instruction proposed by the defendant did not correctly state the law, but this Court did not place its affirmance of the conviction solely on that ground. We also noted the strength of the government’s evidence on the venue issue and the fact “that appellant had not disputed the government’s evidence establishing venue by presenting any contrary evidence.” Id. at 1312.
We are bound by this Court’s panel decision in Netz. I therefore join the Court’s opinion and judgment.