Court Opinion

ID: 9448571
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 23:40:12.488705+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:31:29.331883
License: Public Domain

ALDRICH, Circuit Judge,
(concurring).
Appellants make no contention that the original notes were destroyed in bad faith. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court indicated the possibility of consequences unfavorable to the government even if the destruction were innocent. Consequently, in our opinion of November 7, although we indicated our own views that it was legally immaterial, we instructed the district court to determine “whether Staula * * * adopted or approved the notes] in order that the mandate of the Supreme Court be fully complied with.” The court now states .that appellants are not entitled to an answer to this question because of its immateriality. I confess that because of my belief that the answer should not make any difference I overlooked the fact, when concurring in the court’s decision of May 22, 1962, that it had not been given.
On the present posture the case stands thus. The'district court, on the last remand, found that the interview report itself satisfied the requirements of subsection (e) (1). It did not expressly find, and it does not necessarily follow, that the court thought the notes themselves satisfied this section. Possibly the court would have so found had it adverted to the question more specifically, but on the record it seems likely that had it done so considerations which impermissibly entered into its determination with respect to the report would also have entered here, and that equally we might have been obliged to set the finding aside. However, in the absence of a-finding we need not pursue this question.
Strictly, as I see it, the matter immediately before us is whether to send *752the case back to the district court now for a specific finding with respect to the notes. Since no finding by the district court would change our ultimate decision and appellants would have to go to the Supreme Court in any event, and since that court may well conclude that the character of the notes is of no consequence where their destruction was in entire good faith, I will not dissent from the denial of the petition for rehearing.