California Attorneys for Criminal Justice v. Butts

195 F.3d 1039, 1999 WL 1005103
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedNovember 8, 1999
DocketNos. 97-56499, 97-56510
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 195 F.3d 1039 (California Attorneys for Criminal Justice v. Butts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
California Attorneys for Criminal Justice v. Butts, 195 F.3d 1039, 1999 WL 1005103 (9th Cir. 1999).

Opinions

CANBY, Circuit Judge:

James McNally and James Bey, California state prisoners, joined in bringing this civil rights action against the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California, individual police officers and their respective Chiefs of Police. See 42 U.S.C. § 1983. McNally and Bey complain that they were the victims of a policy of the defendant police to defy the requirements of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). The alleged policy, set forth in certain training programs and materials, was to continue to interrogate suspects “outside Miranda” despite the suspects’ invocation of their right to remain silent and their requests for an attorney.

The district court denied the motions of individual defendants James Butts, Jr., Shane Talbot, Ray Cooper, Raymond Bennett and Michael Crosby, for summary judgment on the ground of qualified immunity.2 Those officers have now brought this interlocutory appeal challenging the denial of immunity. See Mitchell v. Forsyth, 472 U.S. 511, 530, 105 S.Ct. 2806, 86 L.Ed.2d 411 (1985). We affirm the order of the district court denying qualified immunity.3

BACKGROUND

Miranda requires that, once “the individual indicates in any manner, at any time prior to or during questioning, that he wishes to remain silent, the interrogation must cease.” Miranda, 384 U.S. at 473-74, 86 S.Ct. 1602. “If the individual states that he wants an attorney, the interrogation must cease until an attorney is present.” Id. at 474, 86 S.Ct. 1602. These commands are clear on their face. Statements of an accused taken in violation of Miranda, however, have been held admis[1042]*1042sible for purposes of impeachment of a defendant who takes the stand and testifies inconsistently with his prior statement. See Oregon v. Hass, 420 U.S. 714, 95 S.Ct. 1215, 43 L.Ed.2d 570 (1975); Harris v. New York, 401 U.S. 222, 91 S.Ct. 643, 28 L.Ed.2d 1 (1971). The policy of questioning “outside Miranda ” appears to be based on the proposition, which we reject, that Harris and Hass negate the quoted imperatives of Miranda.4 How the policy of questioning “outside Miranda ” worked in practice in these two cases is best demonstrated by the transcripts of the taped interview sessions with McNally and Bey.

James McNally Interrogation

Santa Monica detectives interrogated McNally about his role in a brutal murder. The interview took place in a jail in Arizona and lasted for over an hour. McNally was advised of his Miranda rights and freely answered questions for a considerable period of time. He did not deny having stabbed the victim, but claimed that he had acted in self-defense. Eventually, the discussion focused on the degree of crime that might be charged, and whether McNally would waive extradition. At this point, the questioning took the following turn:

McNally: How ’bout we do this? How ’bout I’ll waive extradition. I’ll go with “you’s.” Let me talk to a California lawyer and we’ll get back together.
Dl:5 You’ll what?
McNally: Okay. I’m saying, “I’ll waive extradition. I’ll go with ‘you’s’ ” no hassle, no problem....
D: Okay. Under, understand....
McNally: So ...
D: ... understand what happens when you get to California — when you get your attorney. No attorney in his right mind is gonna’ tell you talk with the police.
McNally: Oh, I know ...
D: Justice works the same way as it does on the East Coast.
McNally: No, I, I understand. I, I just wanna’ clarify a couple things in my mind. I, I know that. I know a lawyer’s not gonna’ tell me to talk to “you’s.”
D: Right.
McNally: I know that. Let me just talk to him about a couple — you know, I know Pennsylvania Law just ’cuz I’ve been through it. I don’t know California Law. I don’t ... let me talk to him a little bit and we’ll get back — I promise I’ll get back together with “you’s.”
D: So, you don’t wanna’....
Dl: You’re not gonna tell us ...
D: ... you don’t wanna’ tell us what happened ...
McNally: No ...
D: ... now?
McNally: ... not at this time. It’s, it’s too scary for me right now. I’d, I’d rather talk to a lawyer.
D: Alright.
McNally: I’m not trying to impede your investigation.
D: No, I understand.
McNally: I’ll with “you’s” ... [sic]
D: I understand.
McNally: ... no hassle....
D: Okay, now, let me, let me explain to you what’s happened. You’ve basically invoked your Right to have an attorney
McNally: Right.
D: ... okay? At this point, nothing that you say can be used against you in Court ... in California because you have invoked your Right to have an attorney.
[1043]*1043McNally: Right.
D: I still would like to know what happened now because — well, I’ll tell you where I come from. I don’t trust anything that anybody tells me after they’ve talked to an attorney and the D.A. that will be working with us on this case doesn’t either.
So, basically, what they’ll do is they’ll play a game of “what’s this case worth?” And they’ll do “make, let’s make a deal type thing.”
McNally: I know.
D: What I wanna’ know from you now is what you might tell me later so I know what you tell me later is the same as what you’re gonna’ tell me now because what you tell me later is gonna’ be on the record.
Dl: This is all on tape. This — what we’re tellin’ you. You’ve invoked your Rights. Everything from this point on
D: Cannot ...
Dl: ... regarding this case cannot be used against you. We’re, we’re making you the guarantee. It won’t ... you know, even though its on tape....
McNally: Shut that thing off then.
D: Well, this is the record of what you’re telling us. You, we ...
Dl: Yeah. It’s also the record of you invoking your Rights. You want an attorney .... which is fine ...
D: And it’s — let me explain to you something else.

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Bluebook (online)
195 F.3d 1039, 1999 WL 1005103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/california-attorneys-for-criminal-justice-v-butts-ca9-1999.