Court Opinion

ID: 9459361
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 21:18:42.678226+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:08.298533
License: Public Domain

MULLIGAN, Circuit Judge
(concurring) :
I concur in the opinion of Judge Feinberg holding that the extraordinary remedy of mandamus is not appropriate to review these interlocutory discovery orders. In view of the circumstances set forth in his opinion, I find no compelling reason to make any exception to the sound policy of refusing to review intermediate orders by appeal or by mandamus. There is no reason to review the authority for this which is fully set forth in his opinion.
At the same time I believe that the court below committed error. Rule 26(c), Fed.R.Civ.P. gives a trial court broad authority to protect parties or other witnesses during the pre-trial discovery process. In light of 18 U.S.C. §§ 6001-05, it is clear, however, that such authority does not extend to conditioning all discovery upon a blanket grant of use immunity by the Government pursuant to § 6002. The House Report accompanying the immunity provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, expresses the Congressional intent that a witness must specifically claim his privilege to receive immunity. The statute does not contemplate an “immunity bath” H.R.Rep. No. 91-1549, 91st Cong., 2d Sess., in 1970 U.S.Code, Cong. & Ad.News, pp. 4007, 4017.
Moreover § 6003 which sets forth the procedure to be followed in court, explicitly provides that the United States Attorney, with the approval of the Attorney General’s office, must request the court to grant immunity. I agree therefore with Judge Timbers that the initiator of the immunity provided by the statute is the Government and not the Court. In my view therefore the orders below are violative of both the spirit and the letter of the Congressional enactment.