Court Opinion

ID: 9453550
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 18:17:13.056612+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:42.619704
License: Public Domain

GODBOLD, Circuit Judge
(specially-concurring) :
I concur in the result.
As Judge Rives notes (footnote 2 of his opinion) the only reasonable inference is that prior to the issuance of the subpoena duces tecum the existence and some inkling of the contents of the communications were disclosed to the government by telephone company employees. Under no construction of § 605 is this proper.
The wiretap was installed on Hanna’s telephone on November 24, 1965. It remained there to December 21, although the telephone company knew within a day or two of installation that Hanna was using a device to bypass the telephone company’s long distance toll equipment. Whatever right the telephone company may have to determine the existence of communications1 or the content of communications is limited by standards of reasonableness which were exceeded in this case. Bubis v. U. S., 384 F.2d 643 (9th Cir. 1967).
For these reasons, and these alone, I agree that these cases must be reversed.

. Judge Rives’ opinion focuses on the content of a communication. Sec. 605 refers also to divulging the existence of a communication, which may be done by mechanical devices that do not record the content. But I assume that such devices would be installed by and read by persons who are not in the status of the old-fashioned “central.”