In re Layden

446 F. Supp. 53, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20150
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJanuary 13, 1978
DocketNo. 77 GJ 378
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 446 F. Supp. 53 (In re Layden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Layden, 446 F. Supp. 53, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20150 (N.D. Ill. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

PARSONS, Chief Judge.

An order to compel a witness to furnish handwriting exemplars in a convoluted [55]*55manner has been sought by the Government on behalf of the Special February 1977 Grand Jury; these exemplars are later to be compared with handwriting samples previously determined to have been disguised.

Three issues have been raised. First, to what extent does the Fifth Amendment afford protection against self-incrimination in such a context? Second, under the Fourth Amendment, is such a request reasonable? Third, is such an order enforceable?

I.

The Government contends that to require a witness to submit convoluted handwriting exemplars as an aid to the Grand Jury in discovering any possible relationship between documents now in question and the witness is not offensive to the Fifth Amendment. The Government asserts that this is so even though no similarities have been found in the questioned documents and the witness’ normal script. In relevant part, the Fifth Amendment provides that: . . no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself,” the critical word here being “compelled”. The Amendment does not immunize self-incriminating statements unless they are, indeed, “compelled”.

Any evidence that tends to show that the witness himself committed a crime is testimonial, Counselman v. Hitchcock, 142 U.S. 547, 562, 12 S.Ct. 195, 35 L.Ed. 1110 (1891) and, as such, the witness is protected from forced disclosure by the Fifth Amendment. However, as cases subsequent to Counsel-man demonstrate, there are certain limited exceptions where evidence testimonial in nature has been compelled without offending the Fifth Amendment. The theory upon which these exceptions rest is that they involve revelations of a physical characteristic, commonly available to the public and easily observable, which readily identify a witness or defendant. U. S. v. Dionisio, 410 U.S. 1, 5, 93 S.Ct. 764, 35 L.Ed.2d 67 (1972); Gilbert v. California, 388 U.S. 263, 266, 87 S.Ct. 1951, 18 L.Ed.2d 1178 (1966).

In Dionisio, Mr. Justice Stewart explained that physical characteristics are those with which a stranger easily comes into contact, U. S. v. Mara, 410 U.S. 19, 21, 93 S.Ct. 774, 35 L.Ed.2d 99 (1972), and which invoke reasonable expectation that others may see them. No reasonable person would be offended by disclosure of physical qualities which are readily discernible by the general public. Nor should a reasonable person expect that the protections of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments would permit him to refuse to display such characteristics either at a lineup or before a Grand Jury; and those persons who view a lineup and those citizens who participate in Grand Jury deliberations are members of the public-at-large. See Dionisio, supra at 10, 93 S.Ct. 764; citing Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908 (1965).

It is important, however, that the evidence sought must relate to an identifying physical characteristic. Even though the evidence was actually testimonial in nature, Dionisio, Gilbert, Schmerber and Mara all employ the legal concept that there is no compulsion when what is ordered to be revealed or to be produced is merely what one ordinarily displays to the general public voluntarily or unconsciously. Schmerber v. California, supra, was the earliest in this line of cases; there, compulsion was absent as the witness was entirely unresistant. He was just “there,” taking no active part in anything that would affect the outcome of tests performed upon his person. Hence, where affirmative participation is required of a person subjected to such an outcome-determinative test, compulsion violative of the Fifth Amendment might be present (in the absence of some exception.) Schmerber, supra at 764-5, 86 S.Ct. 1826.

In another handwriting exemplar case, the Supreme Court spoke about “mere” handwriting exemplars as involving no affirmative “acting-out” by the suspect. Giving (non-contrived) handwriting exemplars was equated with displaying mere physical characteristics. Gilbert v. California, supra, 388 U.S. at 266, 87 S.Ct. 1951. Decided the [56]*56same year was U. S. v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 87 S.Ct. 1926, 18 L.Ed.2d 1149, wherein the suspect was required to speak certain phrases while in the lineup. The Court held that there was no reasonable expectation of privacy nor any compulsion when one was required merely to demonstrate the natural sound of his voice; therefore, neither the First nor Fifth Amendments were violated. The lineup and voice identification were said to be merely for purposes of demonstrating readily-ascertainable, physical identification.

In the case before me, the Government asks that I go beyond these cases to require the witness here to display an unnatural [for him] physical characteristic. It is elementary that I would be compelling him to “act-out”. It is true that under the aforementioned decisions, compulsion by requiring a witness to perform a natural “affirmative” act for purposes of comparison has been permitted under the Fifth Amendment. This ought not mean, however, that the Government may require that an abnormal handwriting sample must be given involuntarily; to do so would definitely constitute “compulsion” and would be offensive to the Fifth Amendment.

II.

An objection based on the Fourth Amendment’s search and seizure clause also has been raised to contest the Government’s request to force compliance with an order for a contrived handwriting exemplar. See, U. S. v. Doe, 457 F.2d 895, 898 (1972) and Dionisio, supra, 410 U.S. at 10, 93 S.Ct. 764.

The witness asserts that by analogy Schmerber, supra, (a search and seizure case) sets forth the applicable, standard to be applied in the instant case. Is an intrusion on the witness’ Fourth Amendment right to be free of an unreasonable search and seizure justified under the particular facts of this individual case? Such an inquiry should ascertain: (1) whether the evidence sought is of a “natural” or physically-identifying characteristic; and (2) if so, whether under all the circumstances, it is mere chance that some evidence might prove useful for the Grand Jury’s investigative purpose. Schmerber, supra at 764 and 768, 86 S.Ct. 1826; Dionisio, supra at 14, 93 S.Ct. 764. For the limited purposes here, I concur with the proffered test.

After a determination by the Government’s expert that the witness’ normal script bares no commonality to signatures appearing on documents here in question, the Government has sought an order to force the witness to write in such a convoluted manner that the writing might compare favorably to that found in the questioned documents. Such a contrived handwriting sample decidedly would not be “natural” for this witness.

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446 F. Supp. 53, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20150, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-layden-ilnd-1978.