Court Opinion

ID: 9482436
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 08:50:11.939337+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:48:59.474910
License: Public Domain

FAIRCHILD, Senior Circuit Judge,
dissenting in part:
I adhere to my earlier dissent, concluding there was no absolute immunity for the prosecutor’s press conference. Buckley, 919 F.2d at 1245.
Going on from there, the Supreme Court in Bums seems to draw a line between “conduct closely related to the judicial process,” Bums, 111 S.Ct. at 1943, and conduct in the role of “administrator or investigative officer.” Id. at 1942. As to the latter functions, the prosecutor has only the protection of qualified immunity. The Bums Court seems to imply that the increased availability of the defense of qualified immunity is a reason for not expanding, and, perhaps, construing narrowly the application of absolute immunity for prosecutors. Id. at 1944.
My brethren draw the line between investigation and “preparation,” evidently deeming preparation for trial sufficiently close to the judicial process to entitle the prosecutor to absolute immunity. I agree that a prudent prosecutor will interview witnesses and test other evidence brought to him by investigators in advance of trial. He may well ask for further investigation of areas of a case. I can agree that such “preparation” should fall on the absolute immunity side of the line. Plaintiff claims, however, that Mr. Fitzsimmons played a very aggressive role in seeking favorable expert evidence linking the incriminating boot print to plaintiff, and in “supervision of and participation in a year long pre-arrest and pre-indictment investigation.” I am unable to conclude as a matter of law that this alleged conduct falls on the side of the line to which the Bums Court ascribed absolute immunity.