Court Opinion

ID: 9477941
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 06:35:29.286651+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:46:08.284939
License: Public Domain

REINHARDT, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
An interrogation of a criminal defendant must cease once the defendant has invoked his right to remain silent. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 473-77, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 1627-29, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1976). As the majority acknowledges, “the admissibility of statements obtained after the person in custody has decided to remain silent depends under Miranda on whether his ‘right to cut off questioning’ was ‘scrupulously honored.’ ” Michigan v. Mosley, 423 U.S. 96, 104, 96 S.Ct. 321, 326, 46 L.Ed.2d 313 (1975) (footnote omitted). Because Cecil Hsu’s right to remain silent was not “scrupulously honored”, I must respectfully dissent.
Hsu was arrested in a department store and a DEA agent read him his rights outside the store. After answering a few questions, Hsu invoked his right to remain silent. At that point, the questioning temporarily ceased. Hsu was then driven to a residence a few blocks away. While he was kept waiting in the car, a second DEA agent readvised him of his Miranda rights and asked him a series of questions. Hsu seeks to suppress the answers he gave during this second interrogation.
The general rule is that after a defendant has invoked his right to remain silent, he cannot be questioned, Michigan v. Mosley, 423 U.S. at 104-05, 96 S.Ct. at 326-27; United States v. Heldt, 745 F.2d 1275, 1276-77 (9th Cir.1984); United States v. Lopez-Diaz, 630 F.2d 661, 664 (9th Cir.1980), unless at some later time he indicates a desire to provide information to the authorities. United States v. Boyce, 594 F.2d at 1250; United States v. Wilson, 571 *413F.2d 455, 456-57 (9th Cir.1978).1 Courts have, however, permitted renewed questioning where circumstances have changed significantly since the time of the original questioning and a second Miranda warning is given. Here the majority simply ignores the first requirement and finds the fact that a second Miranda warning was given sufficient.
In Mosley, the second interrogation was conducted two hours after the first, in a different location, by a different officer, regarding a different crime. Mosley, 423 U.S. at 104-05, 96 S.Ct. at 326-27. In Grooms v. Keeney, 826 F.2d 883 (9th Cir.1987), the second interrogation was four hours after the first, by officers from a different jurisdiction, regarding primarily a different crime. Id. at 885-86. In such changed circumstances, where the second interrogator has given a new Miranda warning, the courts have concluded that the defendants’ right to cut off questioning was “scrupulously honored.”
The present case is substantially different. Even by the government’s account, as little as fifteen to thirty minutes elapsed between the end of the first interrogation and the beginning of the second. Both interrogations involved the same crime exclusively, and the same investigatory authority.2 Nevertheless, under the majority’s interpretation and application of the Mosley rule, it was enough that the second agent read Hsu a new Miranda warning.
I cannot agree that, when a defendant has announced following a Miranda warning that he wishes to remain silent, his interrogators can regain the right to question him fifteen minutes or thirty minutes later simply by re-reading the identical Miranda warnings they read him only minutes earlier, The majority offers no rationale for its rather odd conclusion that the mere repetition of a warning previously given constitutes the “scrupulously hon- or[ing]” of the defendant’s right to cut off questioning and justifies the resumption of that questioning. Having carefully read and re-read the majority opinion, I must admit that I fail totally to see the connection.3 In my view the majority opinion conflicts with the directive of Michigan v. Mosley, and removes all force from the rule it purports to apply. It is readily apparent that Hsu’s right to remain silent was not “scrupulously honored.” Accordingly, I dissent.

. Obviously this rule does not apply where the defendant has not invoked his right to silence, United States v. Boyce, 594 F.2d 1246, 1250 (9th Cir.1979) or where the right to silence is invoked narrowly, only as to a particular aspect of the crime and as to a particular investigator, Nelson v. McCarthy, 637 F.2d 1291, 1296 (9th Cir.1980).

. Though the suppression hearing record was silent on the issue, the evidence at trial showed that the second interrogator knew of Hsu’s invocation of his right to silence. This fact reinforces the conclusion that Hsu’s right to remain silent was not “scrupulously honored.” In any event, knowledge on the part of the second interrogator is presumed. See United States v. Covington, 783 F.2d 1052, 1055 (9th Cir.1985).

.Actually, there would seem to be no legitimate purpose to a second reading of Miranda rights so soon after the first, except in cases in which the defendant had indicated a change of position or some other justification existed for the resumption of questioning.