United States v. Jepson

53 F.R.D. 289, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11371
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedOctober 5, 1971
DocketNo. 71-CR-78
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 53 F.R.D. 289 (United States v. Jepson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Jepson, 53 F.R.D. 289, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11371 (E.D. Wis. 1971).

Opinion

DECISION and ORDER

MYRON L. GORDON, District Judge.

The defendant in this action is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. App. § 462 as a result of his alleged failure to report for induction into the armed forces. He has filed a motion for discovery and inspection, pursuant to Rule 16, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, in which he seeks the production of an extensive list of documents and other materials.

The information sought by the defendant’s motion is contained in 23 paragraphs. With respect to the paragraphs numbered 1, 2, and 3, the government has stated that it will tender only some of the requested items; the defendant has replied that, even though it modifies his requests, the government’s response is satisfactory. As to the materials requested in paragraphs 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 23, the government has represented that such materials have been furnished to the defendant, will be furnished if they exist, or that the defendant has access to them; I deem the government's response as to these paragraphs to be adequate, and the defendant’s motion as to them need not be granted.

I. The government states that it will furnish none of the materials requested in five of the defendant’s paragraphs. Briefly summarized, these paragraphs seek the following:

(11) A copy of the book or compilation of documents known as the “Selective Service Form Manual” or copies of unpublished selective service forms operative after September 11, 1967, and not used solely for internal administrative purposes;
(12) Copies of policy statements or directives from the director of the selective service system pertaining to the classification or processing of registrants ;
(13) Copies of policy statements or directives from the state director of selective service pertaining to the classification or processing of registrants, with particular attention to any statements on reopening of classifications, appeals, and hardship, fatherhood, or medical deferments;
(14) Copies of all special forms adopted for use pursuant to 32 C.F.R. § 1606.52, together with any directives from the state director as to their use.
(22) The FBI “Identification Record” “indicating the prior criminal record of prospective Government witnesses.”

In United States v. Leichtfuss, 331 F.Supp. 723 (N.D.Ill.1971), the defendants sought the production of materials similar to those in paragraphs 11-14 of the present motion. Leichtfuss contains an extended discussion of discovery with reference to selective service cases and, at page 739, the court said:

“There are a number of sound reasons which support discovery of the above described regulatory materials. These manuals, directives, rules and bulletins may well contain mistaken interpretations of substantive or procedural laws which may void or taint the classification or processing of a registrant. They should therefore be available for inspection by a defendant and his counsel. Furthermore, rules and policies established by an [291]*291Administrative Agency are binding on the agency and must be followed by them. E. g., United States ex rel. Ac-cardi v. Shaughnessy, 347 U.S. 260, 74 S.Ct. 499, 98 L.Ed. 681 (1954); United States v. Heffner, 420 F.2d 809 (4th Cir. 1970). This principle applies to the Selective Service System. Olvera v. United States, 223 F.2d 880, 882 (5th Cir. 1955). Obviously a registrant cannot determine if the Selective Service System followed its own rules and policies in processing his induction unless he has an opportunity to know what those rules and policies are.
“There are still further reasons which support discovery of these materials. Examination may disclose that certain rules are not authorized by statute or regulation * * * or exceed authority delegated to the Service * * * or exceed the authority of the State agency issuing them. * * * Discovery of these directives may also disclose a discriminatory application of the rules as to certain registrants.”

I believe that the above excerpt from Leichtfuss demonstrates the materiality and reasonableness of Mr. Jepson’s requests contained in paragraphs 11-14; that materiality and reasonableness are a prerequisite for discovery under Rule 16(b) appears to be settled. 1 Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure: Criminal § 254, at 511 (1969). The defendant’s requests are neither so sweeping as to amount to a “fishing expedition for evidence,” nor so indefinite as to fail to give the government notice of what is required. United States v. Hughes, 413 F.2d 1244, 1254 (5th Cir. 1969), vacated and remanded as moot 397 U.S. 93, 90 S.Ct. 817, 25 L.Ed.2d 77 (1970); United States v. Crisona, 271 F.Supp. 150, 158 (S.D.N.Y.1967). The defendant’s motion for the production of documents in paragraphs 11-14 will be granted.

In paragraph 22, as has been stated, the defendant seeks the disclosure of the prior criminal records of prospective government witnesses. The government urges that “the defendant is not entitled to * * * [such information] * * * on a pretrial discovery basis.”

In some prior rulings of other courts, the disclosure of the criminal records of government witnesses has not been permitted upon a motion for discovery and inspection brought under Rule 16. See, e. g., Hemphill v. United States, 392 F.2d 45 (8th Cir. 1968); United States v. Mahany, 305 F.Supp. 1205 (N.D.Ill. 1969). On the other hand, it has been observed that a defendant may be at a substantial disadvantage without such information, and, in the 1970 draft of proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 16(a) (1) (vi) provides that, if the court orders the production of the names of government witnesses, the government also must disclose “any record of prior felony convictions of any such witness which is within the knowledge of the attorney for the government.” 48 F.R.D. 553, 589 (1970). United States v. Leichtfuss, supra, 331 F.Supp. at page 732. See also 1 Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure: Criminal § 254, at 518 (1969).

It has been the practice of this court to order the production of the names of prospective government witnesses immediately before the trial. See United States v. Cullen, 305 F.Supp. 695, 699 (E.D.Wis.1969). In addition, in United States v. Faulkner, 53 F.R.D. 299, another selective service case pending before this court, a similar request was made for the criminal records of the government’s prospective witnesses.

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Bluebook (online)
53 F.R.D. 289, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11371, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-jepson-wied-1971.