Court Opinion

ID: 9474183
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:50:08.887452+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:43:56.805242
License: Public Domain

HENLEY, Senior Circuit Judge,
concurring.
The result reached by the court is eminently correct. However, the tendency of the inferior federal courts, and the majority here, to read Test v. United States, 420 U.S. 28, 95 S.Ct. 749, 42 L.Ed.2d 786 (1975), as giving virtually absolute rights of access to jury records regardless of relevancy or materiality to an argument advanced or to be advanced by a moving party leads me to state somewhat different views.
The majority here finds persuasive the district court’s analysis of lack of merit in Alden’s prospective challenge to age group and “Hispanic” categories, but goes on to observe that “[e]ven if the defendant’s anticipated challenges to the jury selection process, ... at the time of his motion for inspection, are without merit, the defendant may still inspect the jury records.” Ante, at 775.
While ultimately it may prove to be true that Alden can win neither of his challenges to jury selection, it is at least arguable that he can win. It is now settled beyond question that members of an identifiable class may not be excluded from jury service. See Jewell v. Stebbins, 288 F.Supp. 600 (E.D.Ark.1968). And certainly it is possible that “Hispanic,” whatever the term may include, may be an identifiable class. Compare Hernandez v. Texas, 347 U.S. 475, 74 S.Ct. 667, 98 L.Ed. 866 (1954), in which the condemned discrimination was against Mexicans and persons of Latin-American names or descent. Thus, I would reverse here because I believe examination of the requested jury records might well disclose information relevant to an arguably meritorious challenge to jury selection.
This is as far as this court, and perhaps this opinion, need go in this case at this time. But I write on because I cannot join the court in upholding a right to inspect regardless of a showing of merit, a holding *776said to be required by the Test Court’s footnoted observation that the only limitation authorized by Congress is that the inspection be at reasonable times. Test v. United States, 420 U.S. at 30 n. 4, 95 S.Ct. at 750 n. 4.
In considering the strictures of Test, the district court here said in part:
It can be argued that a relevancy standard is directly contrary to the Supreme Court’s holding in Test v. United States, 420 U.S. 28, 30 [95 S.Ct. 749, 750, 42 L.Ed.2d 786] (1975). Such an argument is robbed of merit when the Test decision is examined closely. Test was a per curiam opinion in which there was no dispute between the parties on the main issue. As respondent, the United States agreed with the petitioner that the district court had erred in not allowing petitioner to inspect the records. There being no dispute, the Supreme Court simply issued a per curiam opinion adopting the argument advanced by both parties. In addition, petitioner’s and the amicus' briefs before the Supreme Court indicate that there had been some showing of relevancy and materiality, albeit in the guise of a prima facie showing of systematic exclusion of blacks and Hispanics. Moreover, no party before the Supreme Court in the Test case advanced the argument that unlimited disclosure of grand juror identities would chill the grand jury process____ Experience has shown that the precedential value of generalized Supreme Court holdings, especially per curiam holdings, should be restricted to the factual and legal arguments- presented by the parties or raised by the Court sua sponte. Cf. Rose v. Lundy, 455 U.S. 509, 514 n. 5 [102 S.Ct. 1198, 1201 n. 5, 71 L.Ed.2d 379] ...; Northern Pipeline Construction v. Marathon Pipeline Co. [458 U.S. 50], 102 S.Ct. 2858, 2876 n. 31 [73 L.Ed.2d 598] (1982)____ It is apparent to this Court that the Supreme Court’s use of the modifier “essentially unqualified” was designed to give lower courts flexibility to guard interests that were not raised before the Supreme Court in what was tantamount to an uncontested lawsuit. The need for grand juror anonymity is one of these interests.
United States v. Alden, No. 51-83-128 CR(4), Memorandum and Order at 6-8 (E.D.Mo. June 8, 1984). Other inferior federal courts might do well to share the district court’s reluctance to give Test a broad reading.
Without deciding the full extent to which the statute itself restricts, conditions or qualifies any alleged right to inspect, one may at least suggest that the plain language of 28 U.S.C. § 1867(f), a section relied upon in Test and here, that disclosure of jury selection records or papers is prohibited “except ... as may be necessary ...,” involves some restriction. Who is to decide what is necessary? The Supreme Court did not decide that question in Test. If called upon to decide it, the high Court might very well refuse to delete the words “as necessary” from the statute and hold that in the first instance a district court could in some circumstances require a showing of arguable merit as a condition to disclosure.
As stated, I concur in the result, but decline to accept in full the court’s reliance on Test 1.

. The district court when granting appellant's original motion limited disclosure initially to appellant’s attorney. Presumably that limitation resulted in part from concerns for safety of individual grand jurors. I do not understand our order of remand as prohibiting necessary precautions for safety of jurors should the need therefor continue or arise.