Court Opinion

ID: 9492651
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 14:45:56.923668+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:55:24.347710
License: Public Domain

ALDISERT, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I join the majority opinion in all respects and offer these additional observations which I believe on remand are relevant to the authority of the district court to dismiss an indictment without prejudice. As the majority opinion indicates, among the factors to be considered are “the facts and circumstances of the case which led to the dismissal.” 18 U.S.C.App. § 9(1).
The Federal Public Defender wrote a letter to the court on August 25, 1997, referencing “United States v. Victor Guy Johnson, CR No. 97-2033M,” E.R. at 6, requesting appointment of counsel. In my view, the United States Attorney did not have to be notified of this request. But the Federal Public Defender went further. He notified the court that Johnson “ha[d] made a request for a speedy trial on the above referenced charge.” Id. Although he copied his client on the letter, he did not copy the United States Attorney or otherwise notify him. In his failure to do so, that portion of the letter has the very real potential of constituting an ex parte communication to the court on a critical issue in this case-a practice condemned by Rule 3.5(b) of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Although I am not willing to suggest that counsel pushed the envelope quite that far, I do feel that it is most relevant to the question of indictment dismissal without prejudice, especially in view that apparently Johnson, himself, felt that his speedy trial constituted an important defense to the bank robbery charge. The district court has explained:
Defendant testified that he contacted the Federal Defender’s Office in Oregon about one month after signing the USM17. Defendant estimated that he talked to the Federal Public Defender’s Office about ten times during the 180 day demand period, and that he discussed the speedy trial demand with the Federal Public Defender.... Defendant testified that he “may” have told other individuals that he believed that he would beat the bank robbery charges on speedy trial grounds.
Dist. Ct. Op. at 4-5, E.R. at 22-23.