Court Opinion

ID: 9486532
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 11:51:21.460964+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:51:46.662352
License: Public Domain

FOREMAN, District Judge,
concurring.
While I fully agree with the panel’s analysis of the merits of this appeal and join the decision to affirm Ronald Adcox’s conviction, I write separately to clarify my position with respect to the comments in footnote 1. In my view, the responsibility for assuring that the court of appeals is provided with a complete and accurate transcript of the district court proceedings falls primarily upon the court reporter and the attorneys rather than upon the clerk of the court. Rule 11(b) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure provides that “[w]hen the record is complete for purposes of the appeal, the clerk of the district court shall transmit it forthwith to the clerk of the court of appeals.” Fed. R.App.P. 11(b). This rule requires the district court clerk to transmit all of the items that are required to be part of the record— i.e., “[t]he original papers and exhibits filed in the district court, the transcript of proceedings, if any, and a certified copy of the docket entries prepared by the clerk of the district court.” Fed.R.App.P. 10(a). But the rule does not require the clerk of the district court to verify the contents of the transcript of the proceedings — particularly where the court reporter has certified that the transcript is “true and accurate.”