Court Opinion

ID: 9451160
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 17:08:20.752914+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:32:35.721150
License: Public Domain

KILEY, Circuit Judge
(concurring).
Appellant contends that the district court failed to make findings of fact, upon sufficient evidence, as required by In re Bart, 113 U.S.App.D.C. 54, 304 F.2d 631 (1962), to establish the “substantial relation” under the Harris rule1 with respect to each area of questioning by the grand jury, and that the court’s failure denied him due process.
He argues that the district court had the duty of finding the “substantial relation” of the questions asked, and challenged, before ordering him to testify, and could not delegate this duty to him and the grand jury. I assume for purposes of this argument that the court had the duty claimed and that in asking “what is the relevancy” of the lack of “substantial relation” the court misconceived the Harris rule. The court ordered appellant to answer all the questions that had been asked, and ruled that the immunity extended to all. The *926record does not show the questions referred to were not substantially related “in context”2 to violations of the Act, and shows the immunity extended to them. The ruling was right even if the reason was wrong, and there was no denial of due process. The decision of In re Bart, supra, requiring “findings of fact” on sufficient evidence to support the application of the Attorney General for invocation of the immunity statute there has no application to the immunity statute here.
But appellant contends that even if not invalid in the respect noted, the district court’s oral order was invalid in another respect, and that under a statement of the Supreme Court in Bowman Dairy Co. v. United States, 341 U.S. 214, 71 S.Ct. 675, 95 L.Ed. 879 (1951), the entire order must fall.
The statement in Bowman Dairy— which was applied in United States v. Patterson, 206 F.2d 433 (D.C.Cir.1953) — is: “One should not be held in contempt under a subpoena that is part good and part bad. The burden is on the court to see that the subpoena is good in its entirety and it is not upon the person who faces punishment to cull the good from the bad.” 341 U.S. at 221, 71 S.Ct. at 679. The district court’s oral order, so far as is pertinent, is: “ * * * to proceed forthwith * * * to testify fully and completely on matters heretofore propounded * * * and likewise to testify fully and completely on any — and truthfully on any and all other matters propounded to him by the Grand Jury or by any officer asking questions in its behalf.” (Emphasis added.) Appellant argues that the italicized part of the district court’s order is too broad, under Harris, and thus the entire order falls, under Bowman Dairy.
The Bowman Dairy statement is inapplicable to the oral order here challenged by appellant. In Bowman Dairy and Patterson the court and Congress issued the subpoenas and were in a position to do prospectively what Bowman Dairy said the trial court should have done — make certain that the subpoena was good and not leave this function to the witness. But the grand jury asks the questions under its independent power. And the court’s function is retrospective.3 Appellant invoked the Fifth Amendment after immunity was granted, the grand jury directed him to appear before the district court, and the court’s function was to pass on the questions already asked and determine whether the answers would be clothed with the immunity granted. It was not the function of the court to order in advance what questions the witness should or should not answer; and accordingly it had not the duty to fashion an order “good in its entirety” for that purpose. The district court’s oral order is not invalid under Bowman Dairy.

. United States v. Harris, 334 F.2d 460, 462 (2d Cir. 1964): “If the statutory provision under which the grand jury is proceeding extends immunity to the prospective witness, that immunity extends to all testimony thus compelled insofar as that testimony bears a substantial relation to the subject matter of the immunity provision.”

. Marcus v. United States, 310 F.2d 143 (3rd Cir. 1962).

. As the court stated in In re Bart, 113 U.S.App.D.C. 54, 304 F.2d 631, 637 & n. 18, (D.C.Cir. 1962):
“It will be time enough, later, to object to the relevancy of the questions asked.18

“18. The witness will, of course, have an opportunity to be heard, with the assistance of counsel, before he is punished for contempt. The proper time to object to the relevancy of the questions propounded is when the witness is summoned before the court for failure to comply with the order compelling testimony.”