Court Opinion

ID: 9460823
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:01:02.233713+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:47.803443
License: Public Domain

WEICK, Circuit Judge
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I concur in the ruling of the majority with respect to the intercepted telephone conversations and that suppression was not required.
I further agree that two paragraphs of the argument to the jury of the Assistant United States Attorney contained language which had better been left unsaid. However, no objection was made to the argument at the time by the defendants. The defendants waited until the Assistant United States Attorney had finished his argument, and then they moved for a mistrial.
When it was called to the attention of the Court, the District Court clearly and forcefully instructed the jury that the remarks were improper and should be disregarded; that the defendants are required to show nothing in order to maintain their innocence; that the burden of proof is upon the Government to prove the defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; that neither the defendants nor their attorneys are required to explain to the jury why they believe the defendants are innocent, or to explain what the taped telephone calls were. The District Court denied the motion for a mistrial.
In my opinion this cautionary instruction completely cured the alleged error. I do not regard the remarks of the Assistant United States Attorney as inflammatory in any respect. This was not the type of misconduct involved in Pierce v. United States, 86 F.2d 949 (6th Cir. 1936), relied upon by the majority, which conduct in that case was so bad that no cautionary instruction could possibly cure it.
The District Court was familiar with all of the aspects of the trial and was in a good position to assess whatever effect the arguments of counsel might have on the jury. In my opinion the District Court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for a mistrial.
The defendants were entitled to a fair trial, but not a perfect one; in my judgment they had a fair trial.
I would affirm the judgment of conviction.