Court Opinion

ID: 9498296
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 17:13:51.498344+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:58:45.042121
License: Public Domain

KING, Chief Judge, specially
concurring:
I write separately to note that while Lopez-Moreno challenged the admission of documents from the passengers’ A-files, he did not challenge at trial (and does not challenge on appeal) the fact that Agent Griffin, who was not qualified as an expert but rather testified as a lay witness, gave lay opinion testimony regarding the illegal status of the passengers that was explicitly based on his specialized training as a federal immigration agent.
Specifically, at trial, the Government asked Agent Griffin, “[I]n your training as a Border Patrol agent and as an Immigration agent and now an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, [did] you make a determination whether or not these passengers are illegal aliens unlawfully in the country?” Agent Griffin responded that he did make such a determi*439nation, concluding that all nine passengers were in the U-nited States illegally. In providing this testimony, Agent Griffin was not testifying as an expert witness pursuant to Fed.R.Evid. 702, nor was he testifying as a summary witness pursuant to Fed.R.Evid. 1006. See Fed.R.Evid. 702 & 1006. Rather, Agent Griffin was testifying as a lay witness.
The opinion testimony of a lay witness is governed by Fed.R.Evid. 701, which was amended in 2000 to state, inter alia, that such testimony may not be “based on scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge within the scope of Rule 702.”1 Prior to December 1, 2000, Fed.R.Evid. 701 did not prohibit lay opinion testimony based on specialized knowledge. According to the advisory committee notes accompanying Rule 701,
Rule 701 [was] amended [in 2000] to eliminate the risk that the reliability requirements set forth in Rule 702 will be evaded through the simple expedient of proffering an expert in lay witness clothing. Under the amendment, a witness’ testimony must be scrutinized under the rules regulating expert opinion to the extent that the witness is providing testimony based on scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge within the scope of Rule 702 .... By channeling testimony that is actually expert testimony to Rule 702, the amendment also ensures that a party will not evade the expert witness disclosure requirements set forth in Fed.R.Civ.P. 26 and Fed. R.CrimP. 16 by simply calling an expert witness in the guise of a layperson.
Fed.R.Evid. 701 advisory committee’s note (internal citations omitted). In applying the specialized training and experience he has as a Border Patrol and Customs Enforcement agent to form this opinion, Agent Griffin came dangerously close to applying “scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge” that is beyond the scope of what is known by ordinary laymen. See Duhon v. Marceaux, No. 00-31409, 33 Fed.Appx. 703 (5th Cir. Feb.25, 2002) (per curiam) (unpublished) (finding that police officer’s opinion testimony exceeded the scope of permissible lay opinion testimony under Rule 701); United States v. Garcia, 413 F.3d 201, 214-18 (2d Cir.2005) (holding that DEA agent’s opinion testimony was not admissible under Rule 701 because it was based on his specialized knowledge as a DEA agent); United States v. Conn, 297 F.3d 548, 553-55 (7th Cir.2002) (finding that ATF agent’s opinion, based on his training and knowledge as an ATF agent, exceeded the scope of admissible lay opinion testimony under Rule 701). See also Fed.R.Evid. 803(8).
LopezAMbreno, however, did not object to the fact that Agent Griffin’s opinion testimony exceeded the scope of permissible lay opinion testimony under Rule 701, nor does he raise this issue now on appeal. We have repeatedly stated that we “will not consider issues that are not raised by the litigants on appeal.” United States v. Bigler, 817 F.2d 1139, 1140 (5th Cir.1987); Zuccarello v. Exxon Corp., 756 F.2d 402, 407-08 (5th Cir.1985); see also Fed. R.App. P. 28. Accordingly, we need not decide this issue in the present case.
*440The Government normally attempts to prove the passengers’ illegal status in a § 1324 ease by calling one or more of them to testify. See 8 U.S.C. § 1324(d)(2000). Had it done so here, it likely would not have perceived a need to introduce Agent Griffin’s opinion testimony about the passengers’ legal status. Relying on a case agent’s lay opinion of their legal status seems to me to be problematic.

. Fed.R.Evid. 701, as amended in 2000, states in full:
If the witness is not testifying as an expert, the witness' testimony in the form of opinions or inferences is limited to those opinions or inferences which are (a) rationally based on the perception of the witness, (b) helpful to a clear understanding of the witness’ testimony or the determination of a fact in issue, and (c) not based on scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge within the scope of Rule 702.