Court Opinion

ID: 9498606
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 17:22:10.838509+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:58:56.206078
License: Public Domain

BERZON, Circuit Judge,
concurring in part:
I concur in all but Section II.A of the majority’s opinion and the attendant holding of plain error. I see no reason to resolve the plain error / invited error question, which I find more difficult than the majority opinion suggests. What we really have here, plain on the appellate record, is ineffective assistance of counsel. Consequently, although I agree that the rule of United States v. Puerta, 982 F.2d 1297 (9th Cir.1992), survives United States v. Wells, 519 U.S. 482, 117 S.Ct. 921, 137 L.Ed.2d 107 (1997), I would not engage in a plain error analysis with regard to the materiality instruction. Our holding that defense counsel did not provide constitutionally adequate assistance independently entitles Alferahin to a new trial and so affords him complete relief.