Court Opinion

ID: 9465037
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 00:33:55.687482+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:56.421633
License: Public Domain

ELY, Circuit Judge
(dissenting):
I respectfully dissent, doing so only because of our court’s opinion in United States v. Snell, 550 F.2d 515 (9th Cir. 1977). In the present case, the Supreme Court did not discuss the problem that we resolved in Snell, even though the problem was presented in the brief that Culbert filed in our court. I have no doubt that the Supreme Court’s omission is attributable to a policy that it will not meet undecided issues in a particular case unless those issues have first been openly considered by the inferior court. My tentative opinion is that my Brothers now disregard the teaching of Snell, but even if I am mistaken as to the legal point, I think it is wrong for the majority now to affirm Culbert’s conviction summarily without even a mention of Snell.