Court Opinion

ID: 9487626
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:22:28.944445+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:24.032421
License: Public Domain

BEAM, Circuit Judge,
concurring specially.
I concur in the court’s opinion. I write separately because of my concerns about the violation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(e), recognized by the district court in its letter to counsel dated September 21.
The court’s opinion describes the meeting of September 21 as a “status hearing.” I think it could also be appropriately described as a hearing on an unpresented plea agreement containing alleged terms outlined in the Rapid City Journal newspaper. Indeed, it appears that the district court convened the proceeding to discuss the purported agreement after reading the newspaper account.
As the court’s opinion recognizes, the district court’s duties with regard to a plea agreement properly begin when the agreement is formally presented to the court by the parties, Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(e), not when rumors of its potential promulgation are aired in the local paper. And, although I agree that the statements made at the September 21 discussion do not merit recusal of the district court, I am troubled by the chilling effect that this meeting may have had and may continue to have on the parties’ attempt to work out an acceptable plea bargain.
The district court, at this time, is not (or at least should not be) in a position to fully know the strengths and/or weaknesses of the criminal prosecution from the point of view of either the prosecution or the defense. The purpose of the hearing contemplated by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(e)(2) is to allow the district court to gather such information and to put the court in a position to accept or reject the agreement, subject, of course, to appellate review for abuse of discretion.
The premature discussions in this case have, seemingly, turned this well conceived approach on its head. Thus, I would instruct the parties to disregard the September 21 “status hearing” insofar as plea negotiations are concerned and to present to the district court, if a meeting of the minds can be reached, such agreement, if any, that the strengths or weaknesses of their respective *417cases may dictate. I understand the district court’s letter of September 21 to convey this same message.
This is a matter in which the public interest may best be served by a plea bargain. If it is, such an agreement should be formulated and presented to the district court for consideration.