Court Opinion

ID: 9466518
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 01:18:27.276188+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:39:47.020072
License: Public Domain

WALLACE, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
Although I concur, I conclude that the majority improperly rejects the district court’s finding that Bosley “volunteered” his exculpatory statement on cross-examination. The proper test to be applied, as indicated by the majority, is whether the district judge abused his discretion. I conclude there was no abuse. Even after several readings of the relevant passage, see ante at 1276 n.l, I cannot agree, that the district judge’s finding had no reasonable basis in the record. The question whether Bosley’s statement, “I delivered no cocaine,” went beyond the scope of the government’s question seems a close one. However, unless a reading of the record clearly reveals that the admission of the government’s rebuttal evidence was an abuse of discretion, I think we must defer to the judgment of the district judge as to whether Bosley’s statement was volunteered. We must always remember, I suggest, that it was the district judge who had the opportunity to observe the exchange between Bosley and the prosecutor, and to hear the possibly crucial pauses and vocal emphasis.
On the basis of his ruling that Bosley volunteered his statement, the district judge admitted Rhodes’ rebuttal testimony, despite the apparent proscription in Fed.R. Evid. 608(b) against using extrinsic evidence of prior instances of conduct to attack a witness’ credibility. Because I would uphold the finding that Bosley’s statement was volunteered, I believe we should have confronted the difficult question whether Rule 608(b) permits use of extrinsic testimony to rebut a witness’ volunteered exculpatory statement on cross-examination. Cf. United States v. Batts, 558 F.2d 513 (9th Cir. 1977), withdrawn and modified, 573 F.2d 599 (9th Cir. 1978); White v. United States, 317 F.2d 231 (9th Cir. 1963).