United States v. Quintanilla , 56 M.J. 37 ( 2001 )

IN THE CASE OF
UNITED STATES, Appellee
v.
Guillermo A. QUINTANILLA, Staff Sergeant
U.S. Army, Appellant
No. 00-0499
Crim. App. No. 9601468
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Argued December 5, 2000
Decided October 19, 2001
EFFRON, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which
CRAWFORD, C.J., and GIERKE and BAKER, JJ., joined. SULLIVAN,
S.J., filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in
part.
Counsel
For Appellant: Mr. Craig W. Carlson and Captain Stephanie L. Haines
(argued); Lieutenant Colonel David A. Mayfield and Major Mary M. McCord
(on brief).
For Appellee: Captain Karen J. Borgerding (argued); Lieutenant Colonel Edith
M. Rob and Major Anthony P. Nicastro (on brief).
Military Judge: Keith H. Hodges
THIS OPINION IS SUBJECT TO EDITORIAL CORRECTION BEFORE PUBLICATION.
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
Judge EFFRON delivered the opinion of the Court.
INDEX
PROCEDURAL HISTORY [3]
PART A. JUDICIAL DISQUALIFICATION [5]
I. INTRODUCTION [5]
II. JUDICIAL CONDUCT [6]
A. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A MILITARY JUDGE [6]
B. PRODUCTION OF WITNESSES [8]
C. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT -- IN GENERAL [9]
D. IMPARTIALITY [11]
E. EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS [14]
F. DISQUALIFICATION UNDER THE UCMJ
AND THE MANUAL FOR COURTS-MARTIAL [16]
G. PROCEDURE [18]
III. BACKGROUND [21]
A. THE RECORD OF TRIAL [21]
B. POST-TRIAL PROCESSING [82]
C. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE CONFRONTATIONS
DISCLOSED DURING APPELLATE REVIEW [86]
D. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CONFRONTATIONS
OUTSIDE THE RECORD OF TRIAL [87]
E. DESCRIPTION OF AN EX PARTE COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE MILITARY JUDGE AND TRIAL COUNSEL [100]
F. THE MILITARY JUDGE’S DECISION
TO LIMIT DISCLOSURE AT TRIAL [102]
IV. DISCUSSION [105]
A. WAIVER UNDER RCM 902(e) [106]
B. APPEARANCE OF BIAS UNDER RCM 902(a) [110]
C. REMEDY [118]
PART B. LEGAL SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE,
INSTRUCTIONS, AND EXPERT TESTIMONY [121]
I. LEGAL SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE CHARGE
OF FORCIBLE SODOMY (ADDITIONAL CHARGE I) [121]
A. BACKGROUND [121]
B. DISCUSSION [122]
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II. FINDINGS INSTRUCTIONS [123]
A. BACKGROUND [123]
B. DISCUSSION [125]
III. ADMISSION OF EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY [127]
A. BACKGROUND [127]
B. DISCUSSION [130]
PART C. CONCLUSION [132]
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
The present case produced lengthy and complex proceedings
not only at trial, but also during post-trial consideration by
the convening authority and the Court of Criminal Appeals.
Charges against appellant were referred to a general court-
martial on April 14, 1996, and the court-martial held its first
session on May 7, 1996. The court-martial, which was composed
of officer and enlisted members, convicted appellant, contrary
to his pleas, of forcible sodomy of a child under the age of 16,
indecent assault, and indecent acts, in violation of Articles
125 and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 USC §§ 925 and
934, respectively. On August 22, 1996, the court-martial
sentenced appellant to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for
three years, forfeiture of $300 pay per month for 36 months, and
reduction to the lowest enlisted grade. Following various post-
trial submissions, the case was transferred to a different
convening authority, who approved these results on July 21,
1997. The litigation at the Court of Criminal Appeals was
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marked by numerous requests for extensions by both parties. On
April 17, 2000, the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed in a
published opinion. 52 M.J. 839 (2000).
Upon appellant’s petition, we granted review of the
following issues:
I. WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ERRED TO THE
PREJUDICE OF APPELLANT WHEN HE
ABANDONED HIS IMPARTIAL JUDICIAL ROLE AND
THEREAFTER FAILED TO DISQUALIFY HIMSELF
SUA SPONTE, PURSUANT TO RULE FOR COURTS-
MARTIAL 902, SUBSECTIONS (a) AND (b).
II. WHETHER THE ARMY COURT OF CRIMINAL
APPEALS ERRED TO THE SUBSTANTIAL PREJUDICE
OF APPELLANT BY FINDING WAIVER AND NO
PREJUDICE WHEN THE "INTEMPERATE" MILITARY
JUDGE ABANDONED HIS IMPARTIAL JUDICIAL ROLE
AND THEREAFTER FAILED TO DISQUALIFY HIMSELF
SUA SPONTE, PURSUANT TO RULE FOR COURTS-
MARTIAL 902, SUBSECTIONS (a) AND (b).
III. WHETHER THE EVIDENCE OF RECORD WAS
LEGALLY INSUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT A FINDING OF
GUILTY AS TO THE CHARGE OF FORCIBLE SODOMY
(ADDITIONAL CHARGE I AND ITS SPECIFICATION).
IV. WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE'S ERRORS IN
THE FINDINGS INSTRUCTIONS CAUSED PREJUDICIAL
ERROR IN APPELLANT'S CASE.
V. WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT FAILED TO DISCLOSE
MATERIAL EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE TO THE DEFENSE
DURING APPELLANT'S COURT-MARTIAL, IN
VIOLATION OF APPELLANT'S DUE PROCESS RIGHTS
UNDER THE FIFTH AMENDMENT TO THE
CONSTITUTION.
VI. WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ERRED IN
ADMITTING THE GOVERNMENT'S EXPERT WITNESS'S
TESTIMONY OVER THE DEFENSE COUNSEL'S DAUBERT
OBJECTION.
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For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the findings in part
and remand the balance of the case for further proceedings.
Part A of this opinion concerns the issue of judicial
disqualification. Part B concerns issues of legal sufficiency
of the evidence, instructions, and expert testimony.
PART A. JUDICIAL DISQUALIFICATION
I. INTRODUCTION
The first two granted issues pertain to a series of out-of-
court confrontations between the military judge and a civilian
witness, Mr. Bernstein, in which the military judge initiated
physical contact and used profanity. Although some information
about the confrontations was placed in the record through a
series of partial revelations, the military judge did not ensure
that a complete disclosure of the facts was set forth in the
record of trial. Moreover, the record does not reflect evidence
of a critical, ex parte discussion in the midst of the
proceedings between the military judge and trial counsel,
described in a post-trial memorandum prepared by the trial
counsel. Many of the details concerning the confrontations were
not revealed at trial, but were set forth in separate
investigative records compiled during the trial and immediately
thereafter, which were not made available to the defense until
several years after the trial.
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II. JUDCIAL CONDUCT
A. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A MILITARY JUDGE
The position of military judge was established through
amendments to the Uniform Code of Military Justice made by the
Military Justice Act of 1968. The 1968 amendments represented
an effort to “streamline court-martial procedures in line with
procedures in U.S. district courts . . . and give [military
judges] functions and powers more closely allied to those of
Federal district judges.” S. Rep. No. 90-1601, at 3 (1968). As
a result of that legislation, the military judge has “judicial
stature and authority in the courtroom” that “closely
approximate[s] that of a civilian trial judge.” 114 Cong. Rec.
30564 (1968) (remarks of Rep. Philbin).
The military judge is the presiding authority in a court-
martial and is responsible for ensuring that a fair trial is
conducted. Art. 26, UCMJ, 10 USC § 826; RCM 801(a) and
Discussion, Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (2000 ed.).
The judge has broad discretion in carrying out this
responsibility, including the authority to call and question
witnesses, hold sessions outside the presence of members, govern
the order and manner of testimony and argument, control voir
dire, rule on the admissibility of evidence and interlocutory
questions, exercise contempt power to control the proceedings,
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and, in a bench trial, adjudge findings and sentence. See,
e.g., Arts. 39(a), 46, 48, and 51, UCMJ, 10 USC §§ 839(a), 846,
848, and 851; Mil.R.Evid. 104(a), 611(a), and 614, Manual,
supra; RCM 801(a)(3) (Discussion), 802, 803, 809, 912, 922(c),
and 1007(a); see also Weiss v. United States, 510 U.S. 163, 167-
68 (1994). “In short, a military judge does the type of things
that civilian judges do.” United States v. Graf, 35 M.J. 450, 457
(CMA 1992), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1085 (1994).
There are important distinctions, however, between a
military judge and a federal civilian judge, aside from the
absence of tenure discussed in Weiss, supra. A federal civilian
judge typically has jurisdiction over all cases arising under
applicable federal law, but a military judge does not exercise
general jurisdiction over cases arising under the UCMJ. A
military judge may exercise authority only over the specific
case to which he or she has been detailed. Art. 26; Weiss,
supra at 172. In contrast with the civilian judiciary, a
military judge has no courtroom, clerk of court, or marshals.
Instead, the military judge is almost entirely dependent upon
the facilities and personnel made available by the convening
authority for the conduct of the trial. Many of the
administrative functions performed by clerks of court or U.S.
Marshals in civilian life are assigned in the military justice
system to the trial counsel, who also acts as the prosecutor.
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See RCM 502(d)(5)(Discussion); compare Fed. R. Crim. P. 17(a)
and (d).
B. PRODUCTION OF WITNESSES
The trial counsel’s responsibilities include the duty to
obtain the presence of witnesses for both the prosecution and
the defense, including the issuance of military orders for
active duty witnesses and subpoenas for civilians. See RCM
703(e). Absent a subpoena, a civilian cannot be compelled to
testify at a court-martial.
A military judge may issue a warrant of attachment to
compel the presence of a civilian witness, but “only upon
probable cause to believe that the witness was duly served with
a subpoena, that the subpoena was issued in accordance with . .
. [applicable] rules, that appropriate fees and mileage were
tendered to the witness, that the witness is material, that the
witness refused or willfully neglected to appear at the time and
place specified on the subpoena, and that no valid excuse
reasonably appears for the witness’ failure to appear.” RCM
703(e)(2)(G)(ii).
In contrast to federal civilian judges, military judges do
not have the power to treat non-compliance with a subpoena as a
contempt of court. Compare Fed. R. Crim. P. 17(g) with Art. 47,
UCMJ, 10 USC § 847. In a court-martial, if a civilian not
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subject to the UCMJ refuses to appear or testify after receiving
a subpoena, the matter is referred to the appropriate U.S.
Attorney for prosecution in the federal civilian courts. See
Art. 47; RCM 809 (Discussion).
C. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT -- IN GENERAL
This Court and the military departments have looked to the
1972 American Bar Association Code of Judicial Conduct (now the
ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct) and the ABA Standards for
Criminal Justice (ABA Standards) for guidance on proper conduct
in criminal trials. See, e.g., United States v. Wright, 52 M.J.
136, 141 (1999); United States v. Hamilton, 41 M.J. 32, 39 (CMA
1994); United States v. Loving, 41 M.J. 213, 327 (1994), aff'd,
517 U.S. 748 (1996). The Army has expressly adopted the ABA
Code to the extent that it does not conflict with the UCMJ,
Manual for Courts-Martial, or other rules governing courts-
martial. Para. 5-8, AR 27-10, Military Justice (20 Aug 1999).1
Canon 3 of the ABA Model Code (2000 ed.) provides that “[a]
judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially
and diligently.” Two sections of Canon 3 are of particular
relevance to this case: (1) Section B(4) requires a judge to
1
For a discussion of the adoption or modification of model codes and
standards by the military departments, see Francis A. Delzompo, When the
Military Judge Is No Longer Impartial: A Survey of the Law and Suggestions
for Counsel, Army Lawyer at 3 (June 1995).
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“be patient, dignified and courteous to litigants, jurors,
witnesses, lawyers, and others”; and (2) Section B(5)
establishes that “[a] judge shall not . . . by words or conduct
manifest bias or prejudice.” The commentary on the latter
section elaborates, as follows:
A judge must perform judicial duties
impartially and fairly. A judge who
manifests bias on any basis in a proceeding
impairs the fairness of the proceeding and
brings the judiciary into disrepute. Facial
expression and body language, in addition to
oral communication, can give to parties or
lawyers in the proceeding, jurors, the media
and others an appearance of judicial bias.
A judge must be alert to avoid behavior that
may be perceived as prejudicial.
The ABA Standards, which have similar provisions,2 require judges
to exercise self-restraint:
The trial judge should be the exemplar of
dignity and impartiality. The judge should
exercise restraint over his or her conduct
and utterances. The judge should suppress
personal predilections, and control his or
her temper and emotions. The judge should
not permit any person in the courtroom to
embroil him or her in conflict, and should
otherwise avoid personal conduct which tends
to demean the proceedings or to undermine
judicial authority in the courtroom. When
it becomes necessary during the trial for
the judge to comment upon the conduct of
witnesses, spectators, counsel, or others,
the judge should do so in a firm, dignified,
and restrained manner, avoiding repartee,
2
The Code of Conduct for United States Judges (1999), applicable to federal
judges and specifically adopted by this Court, see id., Chapt. 1, Intro.,
contains similar provisions regarding the maintenance of impartiality,
dignity, and decorum in proceedings. See, e.g., Canon 2A and comment, and
Canon 3A(2), (3), and comment.
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limiting comments and rulings to what is
reasonably required for the orderly progress
of the trial, and refraining from
unnecessary disparagement of persons or
issues.
Standard 6-3.4, Special Functions of the Trial Judge (2d ed.
1980).
Such standards generally are regarded as principles to
which judges should aspire and are enforced primarily through
disciplinary action and advisory opinions, rather than through
disqualification in particular cases. See Richard E. Flamm,
Judicial Disqualification § 2.6.3 at 45 (1996). In many
jurisdictions, particularly in the federal courts, actions that
violate codes of conduct do not necessarily provide a basis
either for disqualification of a judge or reversal of a judgment
unless otherwise required by applicable law. Id.
D. IMPARTIALITY
“An accused has a constitutional right to an impartial
judge.” Wright, supra, 52 MJ at 140, citing Ward v. Village of
Monroeville, 409 U.S. 57 (1972); Tumey v. Ohio, 237 U.S. 510
(1927). The impartiality of a presiding judge is crucial, for
“‘[t]he influence of the trial judge on the jury is necessarily
and properly of great weight,’ . . . and jurors are ever
watchful of the words that fall from him. Particularly in a
criminal trial, the judge’s last word is apt to be the decisive
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word.” United States v. Shackleford, 2 M.J. 17, 19 (CMA 1976)
(quoting United States v. Clower, 23 USCMA 15, 18, 48 CMR 307,
310 (1974)(internal citations omitted)).
The Manual also emphasizes the importance of an impartial
judiciary, advising military judges that when carrying out their
duties in a court-martial, they “must avoid undue interference
with the parties’ presentations or the appearance of
partiality.” RCM 801(a)(3) (Discussion).3 The military judge
must exert his authority with care, so as not to give even the
appearance of bias for or against either party. Id. The
military judge is also charged with ensuring that the “dignity
and decorum of the proceedings are maintained,” as “[c]ourts-
martial should be conducted in an atmosphere which is conducive
to calm and detached deliberation and determination of
the issues presented.” RCM 801(a)(2) and Discussion. The
Manual reflects Canon 3A(3) of the Code of Conduct for United
3
Concern about impartiality and judicial temperament can be traced back to
the 1951 Manual, which states:
[The law officer] should bear in mind that his undue
interference or participation in the examination of
witnesses, or a severe attitude on his part toward
witnesses, may tend to prevent the proper presentation of
the case, or hinder the ascertainment of truth.
. . . In addressing counsel, the accused, witnesses, or the
court, he should avoid a controversial manner or tone. He
should avoid interruptions of counsel in their arguments
except to clarify his mind as to their positions, and he
should not be tempted to the unnecessary display of
learning or a premature judgement.
Para.39b(2), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1951.
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States Judges (1999), which provides that “[a] judge should be
patient, dignified, respectful, and courteous to litigants,
jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals
in an official capacity . . . .”
The paramount importance of impartiality does not mean that
the military judge should act as “simply an umpire in a contest
between the Government and accused.” United States v. Kimble,
23 USCMA 252, 254, 49 CMR 384, 386 (1974). The judge’s role is
complex, for exercising evenhanded control of the proceedings
without veering, or appearing to veer, too far to one side or
the other has been characterized by this Court as walking a
“tightrope.” Shackleford, 2 M.J. at 19.
A number of cases have suggested that disqualification
applies to actions that are extra-judicial, or personal, and not
judicial in nature. See Liteky v. United States, 510 U.S. 540,
549 (1994); In re Corrugated Container Antitrust Litigation, 614
F.2d 958, 964 (5th Cir. 1980); In re Boston’s Children First, 244
F.3d 164, 168 (1st Cir. 2001). This view is reflected in the
Drafters’ Analysis of RCM 902(b), Manual, supra at A21-50. The
case law, however, does not clearly distinguish between matters
that are “extra-judicial” or “personal” and matters that are
“judicial.” Actions taken in the course of a trial may warrant
disqualification where “it can be shown that such bias was
either directed against a party or its counsel, or in favor of
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the adverse party or counsel, or that the challenged judge, in
order to compensate for the appearance of such a bias, has bent
over backwards to make it seem as though he has not acted as a
result of such bias.” Flamm, supra, § 4.3 at 113-14 (footnotes
omitted).
There is a strong presumption that a judge is impartial,
and a party seeking to demonstrate bias must overcome a high
hurdle, particularly when the alleged bias involves actions
taken in conjunction with judicial proceedings. See id.,
§ 4.6.4 at 136-37 (suggesting that only extraordinary
circumstances involving pervasive bias warrant disqualification
when the alleged bias is based upon judicial actions). The
Supreme Court, in a case involving the extra-judicial source
doctrine and the appearance of bias, has noted that remarks,
comments, or rulings of a judge do not constitute bias or
partiality, “unless they display a deep-seated favoritism or
antagonism that would make fair judgment impossible.” Liteky,
510 U.S. at 555.
E. EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS
The Code of Conduct for United States Judges contains a
number of rules to ensure that judges steer clear of
circumstances that would demonstrate bias or the appearance of
bias. One such rule is Canon 3A(4), which provides that “[a]
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judge should accord to every person who is legally interested in
a proceeding, or the person’s lawyer, full right to be heard
according to law, and, except as authorized by law, neither
initiate nor consider ex parte communications on the merits, or
procedures affecting the merits, of a pending or impending
proceeding.” The limitation generally applies to “oral
discussions about a pending or impending proceeding between a
judge and another [person] that not all of the attorneys of
record in that proceeding are present to hear, or written
communications about such a proceeding that less than all the
attorneys of record have contemporaneously received copies of.”
Flamm, supra, § 14.1 at 406 (footnotes omitted).
Under circumstances not pertinent to the present appeal,
certain ex parte communications are permissible. Id., § 14.3.1
at 410. Moreover, in light of the potential for incidental
communications that involve non-controversial matters such as
routine scheduling discussions, the fact of an ex parte
communication does not mandate disqualification. Id.; see also
United States v. Alis, 47 M.J. 817, 824 (A.F.Ct.Crim.App. 1998)
(citing United States v. Chavira, 25 M.J. 705 (ACMR 1987)(“When
circumstances require, ex parte communications for scheduling or
administrative purposes that do not deal with substantive issues
are authorized provided no party gains a tactical advantage as a
result . . . and the judge makes provision promptly to notify
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
all other parties of the substance of the communication.”)). A
decision on disqualification will “depend on the nature of the
communication; the circumstances under which it was made; what
the judge did as a result of the ex parte communication; whether
it adversely affected a party who has standing to complain;
whether the complaining party may have consented to the
communication being made ex parte, and, if so, whether the judge
solicited such consent; whether the party who claims to have
been adversely affected by the ex parte communication objected
in a timely manner; and whether the party seeking
disqualification properly preserved its objection.” Flamm,
supra, § 14.3.1 at 411-12 (footnotes omitted).
F. DISQUALIFICATION UNDER THE UCMJ
AND THE MANUAL FOR COURTS-MARTIAL
The Uniform Code of Military Justice provides that “[n]o
person is eligible to act as military judge in a case if he is
the accuser or a witness for the prosecution or has acted as
investigating officer or a counsel in the same case.” Art.
26(d). The President has promulgated additional
disqualification standards in RCM 902, which parallel the
statute governing disqualification of federal civilian judges,
28 USC § 455. See Art. 36(a), UCMJ, 10 USC § 836(a)
(presidential rulemaking authority); Drafters’ Analysis of RCM
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902, Manual, supra at A21-50. Our Court considers the standards
developed in the federal civilian courts, as well as our own
case law, when addressing disqualification issues arising under
RCM 902. See, e.g., Wright, 52 M.J. at 140-41.
RCM 902 divides the grounds for disqualification into two
categories – specific circumstances connoting actual bias and
the appearance of bias. RCM 902(b) lists five specific
circumstances requiring disqualification, including two that are
pertinent to the present appeal.
RCM 902(b)(1), which provides for disqualification “[w]here
the military judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a
party or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts,”
applies the same substantive standard as its civilian
counterpart, 28 USC § 455(b)(1). RCM 902(b)(3) provides for
disqualification “[w]here the military judge has been or will be
a witness in the same case.” See Art. 26(d). The Drafters’
Analysis notes that “[t]he purpose of this section is analogous
to that of 28 USC § 455(b)(3).” Manual, supra at A21-51.
RCM 902(a), which addresses the appearance of bias,
requires disqualification of a judge when “that military judge’s
impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” This is the same
standard as applied under the federal civilian statute, 28 USC
§ 455(a).
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Under subsection (a), disqualification is required “in any
proceeding in which [the] military judge’s impartiality might
reasonably be questioned,” even though the evidence does not
establish actual bias. The appearance standard is designed to
enhance public confidence in the integrity of the judicial
system. Liljeberg v. Health Services Acquisition Corp., 486
U.S. 847, 860 (1988). The rule also serves to reassure the
parties as to the fairness of the proceedings, because the line
between bias in appearance and in reality may be so thin as to
be indiscernible. Flamm, supra, § 5.4.2 at 151; see also
Liteky, 510 U.S. at 565 (Kennedy, J., concurring in the
judgment)(“In matters of ethics, appearance and reality often
converge as one.”).
In short, RCM 902, like 28 USC § 455, requires
consideration of disqualification under a two-step analysis.
The first step asks whether disqualification is required under
the specific circumstances listed in RCM 902(b). If the answer
to that question is no, the second step asks whether the
circumstances nonetheless warrant disqualification based upon a
reasonable appearance of bias.
G. PROCEDURE
As a matter of procedure, counsel may move for the
disqualification of a military judge, but military judges also
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have a continuing duty to recuse themselves if any of the bases
of disqualification under RCM 902 develop. RCM 902(d)(1). Both
parties are permitted to question the military judge and to
present evidence concerning the possible ground for
disqualification prior to the judge’s decision. RCM 902(d)(2).
Of all the grounds for disqualification in RCM 902, only the
appearance of bias may be waived, RCM 902(a), after full
disclosure of the basis on the record. RCM 902(e).
In federal civilian courts, parties may raise the recusal
issue by motion, but the judge also has a sua sponte duty to
determine whether he or she should continue to preside over a
proceeding. Davis v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile
County, 517 F.2d 1044, 1051 (5th Cir. 1975)(28 USC § 455 is self-
enforcing on the part of the judge; it may be asserted by party
by motion in trial court, through assignment of error on appeal,
by interlocutory appeal, or by mandamus). Some circuits have
expressed the opinion that, after disclosing information that
might form a basis for disqualification under § 455(a), the
judge should make his own determination on the issue without
asking counsel to express their views on the judge’s ability to
sit. See United States v. Kelly, 888 F.2d 732, 746-47 (11th Cir.
1989)(holding, in accord with other circuits, that a federal
judge should make his own decision on disqualification because
“[t]he too frequent practice of advising counsel of a possible
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
conflict, and asking counsel to indicate their approval of a
judge’s remaining in a particular case is fraught with potential
coercive elements which make this practice undesirable.”).
Although the federal statute does not detail the procedure
for obtaining a waiver of disqualification from the parties,
early and full disclosure by the judge in circumstances free
from any subtle coercion generally is considered to be an
essential predicate to acceptance of waiver. See United States
v. Nobel, 696 F.2d 231, 236-37 (3rd Cir. 1982). A procedure for
obtaining waiver is set forth in Canon 3D of the Code of Conduct
for United States Judges, which provides:
A judge disqualified by the terms of Canon
3C(1), except in the circumstances
specifically set out in subsections (a)
through (e), may, instead of withdrawing
from the proceeding, disclose on the record
the basis of his disqualification. If the
parties and their lawyers after such
disclosure and an opportunity to confer
outside of the presence of the judge, all
agree in writing or on the record that the
judge should not be disqualified, and the
judge is then willing to participate, the
judge may participate in the proceeding.
The agreement shall be incorporated in the
record of the proceeding.
The Compendium of Selected Opinions to the Code of Conduct for
United States Judges provides a further gloss on obtaining
waiver of disqualification for an appearance of impropriety:
The decision as to whether there is or is
not a reasonable appearance of impropriety
is a decision to be made by the judge;
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counsel or parties should not be consulted
on that issue. If the judge determines that
there is a reasonable appearance of
impropriety, the judge must either recuse,
or invoke the Canon 3D procedure in full.
§ 3.8-2[1](c). Although the procedure in Canon 3D is not
required under 28 USC § 455(e), courts have cited the Canon with
approval. See Noble, supra.
III. BACKGROUND
This section provides a detailed account of the events at
the time of trial and during appellate review to reflect the
evolution of the disqualification issue in this case. Because
the military judge did not make a comprehensive disclosure of
the pertinent events, the following not only sets forth
information from the record of trial, but also the differing
recollections of the participants as contained in material
developed after the trial.
A. THE RECORD OF TRIAL
1. THE CHARGED OFFENSES
a. Charges of Sexual Impropriety With Three Civilian Teenagers
Appellant was charged with offenses arising from sexual
contact with five individuals: two military members and three
civilian teenagers. The charges involving the civilian
teenagers provide the context for the unusual events that
21
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transpired during the lengthy trial, post-trial, and appellate
proceedings in this case.
Appellant was divorced and lived off-post with his teenage
son. During the two-year period covering the charged offenses,
several other soldiers and civilians lived in the house at
various times, including JB, a 19-year-old high school student.
Subsequently, JB moved out of appellant’s home and lived with
his employer, Mr. Bernstein, who owned a chain of pizza parlors.
JB informed Mr. Bernstein that appellant had forcibly performed
oral sodomy on him while the two were sitting in appellant’s
parked car.
Mr. Bernstein also employed CS, who was a friend of JB.
During an employment interview, CS told Mr. Bernstein that
appellant had indecently assaulted him after getting him drunk.
When Mr. Bernstein subsequently learned that RW, JB’s 15-year-
old half-brother, had spent time with appellant, he became
suspicious that appellant might have molested RW as well. Mr.
Bernstein informed RW’s father, Master Sergeant (MSG) W, who
questioned his son. RW told MSG W that appellant had sexually
molested him at appellant’s house. Mr. Bernstein did not speak
directly to RW about these allegations. The allegations
regarding all three civilian teenagers were brought to the
attention of military authorities by Mr. Bernstein.
22
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b. The Charges Involving Military Personnel
The remaining charges involved sexual contact with two
members of the armed forces at various times during 1993 through
1995. Private (PVT) B, a new member of appellant’s battalion,
arrived when most of the unit was deployed. At appellant’s
suggestion, PVT B joined appellant off-post for a game of pool,
and then went to appellant’s house. PVT B accepted appellant’s
invitation to spend the night at appellant’s house. PVT B
testified that shortly after retiring for the evening, appellant
touched PVT B’s genitals. PVT B then departed and obtained a
ride back to Fort Hood, where he reported the incident to the
staff duty noncommissioned officer (NCO).
The other offenses involved CJ, who was on active duty at
the time of the incidents but had left military service at the
time of trial. CJ’s testimony covered two separate incidents of
sexual contact, one in the barracks and one at a party in
appellant’s home. CJ testified that he consumed a large
quantity of beer, fell asleep on the bedroom floor, and woke up
to find appellant touching his genital area.
Neither of the victims had any contact with Mr. Bernstein
prior to trial. Appellant was convicted of the charge involving
PVT B. He was also convicted of one of the specifications
involving CJ and acquitted of the other.
23
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2. OVERVIEW
At trial, the defense strategy focused primarily on Mr.
Bernstein’s role, suggesting that the reports of abuse were not
credible and that he had manipulated the teenagers into making
false charges. The trial was marked by conflicts between Mr.
Bernstein and the military judge, including two out-of-court
confrontations. The out-of-court confrontations between the
military judge and Mr. Bernstein not only affected procedural
aspects of the trial, but also became the focus of evidence
introduced for consideration by the members during trial on the
merits.
3. PROCEEDINGS PRIOR TO THE CONFRONTATIONS
Appellant was arraigned on May 7, 1996, and pretrial
motions and related proceedings were considered on August 10 and
19. A variety of circumstances delayed commencement of trial on
the merits, including a lengthy, defense-requested continuance
to accommodate the schedules of both civilian and military
defense counsel.
After additional pretrial matters were considered on the
morning of August 20, trial on the merits began with opening
statements. During the opening statements, the prosecution
summarized expected testimony on each charge and indicated that
expert testimony would be offered to explain delayed reporting
24
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
in terms of the reluctance of young victims to report sexual
abuse. The defense counsel’s opening statement focused on
potential inconsistencies in the anticipated testimony of
prosecution witnesses, implying that at least some of the
witnesses were manipulated by Mr. Bernstein, who was described
by defense counsel as “the key to the whole thing.”
After the opening statements and prior to commencement of
the prosecution’s case on the merits, the military judge
conducted a routine session under Article 39(a), UCMJ, 10 USC
§ 839(a), regarding expert witnesses. During the course of that
discussion, he expressed concern that trial counsel had not
given the bailiff a list of prosecution witnesses showing the
order in which they would appear. He admonished the trial
counsel to have his witnesses organized so that the court-
martial would “not have to wait 10 minutes between witnesses.”
When the court reconvened early in the afternoon on August
20, the prosecution called its first witness -- CS -- one of the
civilians named as a victim in the charges. Defense counsel
immediately requested a brief delay for purposes of interviewing
the witness. After determining that the defense previously had
the opportunity to interview the witness at the pretrial
investigation under Article 32, UCMJ, 10 USC § 832, the military
judge expressed concern about further delay, noting that
“witnesses in cases like this do tend to be a little reluctant,
25
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
a little frail; and we had them waiting all morning.” Defense
counsel withdrew his request for a delay, and the prosecution
began its examination of CS.
CS testified that appellant encountered him at school and
offered him a ride home. He added that instead of going to CS’s
home, they went to appellant’s house, where appellant served him
beer, showed pornographic movies, and initiated sexual activity
without CS’s consent. CS further testified that he did not tell
his parents or friends about this because he was embarrassed.
He stated that he eventually told his employer, Mr.
Bernstein, what had transpired after learning that JB, a fellow
employee, “had been attacked” by appellant. In his cross-
examination, defense counsel explored inconsistencies between
the testimony presented in court and at the Article 32 hearing,
and focused on Mr. Bernstein’s role in bringing the allegations
to the attention of CS’s father and the prosecution.
4. THE DELAY IN BRINGING JB TO THE WITNESS STAND
After CS completed his testimony, the prosecution called
its second witness, JB -- another of the teenage civilians named
in the charges as a victim. The record of trial contains a
cryptic description about what then transpired.
Initially, the record indicates some difficulty with
respect to the witness:
26
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
TC: We call J* B*.
[Specialist Bennett, legal specialist, withdrew from the
courtroom, and reentered shortly thereafter and conferred
with the trial counsel.]4
MJ: Tell Mr. B* to come in; tell him I said so.
[Specialist Cooks, legal specialist, withdrew from the
courtroom. Captain Henry, seated in the spectator section
withdrew from the courtroom.]5 [Time lapse.]
MJ: Okay. I've got a premonition. Gentlemen, please go
into the deliberation room. We'll be getting to you
shortly.
TC: Sir--sir, if I may. If we get him, I'd like to hear
him testify.
MJ: I understand that. Would you go get him please?
TC: Yes, sir.
MJ: Thank you.
[Captain Schwind6 withdrew from the courtroom.]
[Time lapse.]
The military judge called a brief recess at 2:28 p.m. Four
minutes later, he convened an Article 39(a) session and
indicated that the difficulty in obtaining JB’s appearance was
related to Mr. Bernstein.
MJ: This Article 39(a) session is called to order. All
are present as before. The members are absent. Captain
Schwind is absent.
4
The bracketed material in italics is from the record of trial.
5
CPT Henry, a spectator in the courtroom, was the Chief of Military Justice
of the 1st Cavalry Division.
6
The Trial Counsel (TC).
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
Mr. Bernstein, who I have met, is highly upset. He
believes he was treated in an improper way. I could not
have a conversation with Mr. Bernstein because I had this
premonition that I would revisit everything I was about to
say. I invited Mr. Bernstein in. I believe I called for
the MP's to come here, is that correct?
CPT Henry: [From spectator section.] Yes, sir. They're
on their way.
MJ: Very well. Okay.
Now, I want you Captain Christensen,7 to kick out-- Captain
Schwind, sit down with Mr. Bernstein, tell him we're going
to have a trial; tell him if he leaves that I may dismiss
the charges and all this work is for naught.
[Captain Schwind reentered the courtroom.]
MJ: Was Mr. Bernstein going to come in?
TC: Sir, he's attempting to call Colonel Naccarato.8
MJ: Everybody stay here.
[Stepped down from the judge's bench.]
Cooks, you're my witness. Put your ears on.
[The military judge and Specialist Cooks withdrew from the
courtroom.]
Following this announcement, a second brief recess began at 2:33
p.m. Four minutes later, the Article 39(a) session was
reconvened, and the military judge vaguely referred to the
difficulties encountered in procuring JB’s appearance:
7
The Assistant Trial Counsel (ATC).
8
The Staff Judge Advocate of III Corps, the headquarters above the 1st Cavalry
Division in the chain of command.
28
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
[The military judge and Specialist Cooks reentered the
courtroom.]
MJ: Come on in, Mr.--what's his name?
TC: [JB]
MJ: [JB] . . ., come on in and have a seat.
[The witness entered the courtroom and took the witness
stand.]
MJ: Let the record reflect that I went out with--are we on
the record? Article 39(a) called to order. All are
present as before. The members are absent. Mr. [JB] is on
the witness stand.
Specialist Cooks--
[Assistant trial counsel stood.]
Talk to me.
ATC: I just wanted to let you know, sir, Captain Schwind
is present now.
MJ: Okay. Well, we can't have everything. Okay.
Specialist Cooks and I went out to talk to Mr. Bernstein.
Mr. Bernstein is apparently a good friend of . . . . [JB].
He is very protective of . . . [JB].
* * *
. . . . Mr. Bernstein is eager to avoid problems. He
believes that--and what sent him off, so the record is
straight: Apparently, he believes that a captain, who he
believes his first word begins with an "F" and ends with a
"G" had spoken inappropriately to him--and I think he's
referring to you, Captain Brown9--and Mr. Bernstein is all
upset.
DC: What?
CDC: Sir, for the record, he's talking--he was in here,
sir.
9
Detailed Defense Counsel (DC).
29
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
CPT Henry: [From the spectator section.] He's talking
about me, sir.
MJ: Oh, he's talking about Captain Henry?
CPT Henry: Yes, sir.
MJ: Oh, great. I'm sorry. I thought it was the other F-
captain. In any event, Mr. Bernstein is all upset. And
what I did was: I went and I reminded Mr. Bernstein that
we weren't calling him as a witness at this point; we were
calling . . . [JB]; and that, we were going to have a
trial. And that, all I wanted . . . [JB] to do was come in
and testify, and testify truthfully, and give . . . [JB] an
opportunity to put this incident behind him in one way or
another this week. And that, if people all wanted to go
home there were no subpoenas, but that would just cause the
government to issue subpoenas next week, and this trial
would continue in a few more weeks.
. . . [JB], my recollection is you decided that you wanted
to come in and put this behind you today and not worry
about it later. Is that right?
[JB]: Yes--yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. And with that, are there any questions?
TC: No, sir.
CDC: No, sir.
MJ: Specialist Cooks, did I leave anything important out?
SPC COOKS: [From spectator section.] No, sir.
MJ: All right. Anything else?
TC: No, sir.
Contrary to the impression that this account provided a complete
description of events, this portion of the record omitted
significant details as to what transpired outside the courtroom.
See, e.g., Sections III.A.8., III.A.20., and III.D., infra.
30
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
5. JB’S TESTIMONY ON THE MERITS
After trial resumed, JB testified that he had rented a room
in appellant’s house, that appellant had initiated non-
consensual sexual contact with him, that he had been too
embarrassed to tell his parents or friends, that he subsequently
moved into the house of his employer, Mr. Bernstein, and that he
eventually told Mr. Bernstein what had transpired with
appellant. On cross-examination, the defense employed an
approach similar to that used with CS, emphasizing
contradictions between his trial testimony and his previous
statements and highlighting the role of Mr. Bernstein in
bringing his allegations to the attention of the Army.
6. THE RECESS PRIOR TO MR. BERNSTEIN’S TESTIMONY
Following JB’s testimony, an Article 39(a) session was
convened at 4:09 p.m. to consider an evidentiary matter. Two
minutes later, the military judge abruptly announced, “We’re in
recess.” The recess lasted for 39 minutes.
The record at that point does not reflect two important
developments. First, the military judge learned that Mr.
Bernstein had made a complaint about him, and the complaint had
come to the attention of the judge’s superior within the
judiciary. Aspects of this development eventually would be
placed on the record. See Section III.A.11., infra. Second,
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
the military judge and the trial counsel had an ex parte
conversation in which the trial counsel convinced the military
judge to delay placing information on the record concerning the
out-of-court confrontations between the military judge and Mr.
Bernstein. The fact of the conversation was never on the record
and was not revealed to defense counsel until long after trial,
when the case was under appellate review. See Section III.E.,
infra.
7. MR. BERNSTEIN’S TESTIMONY ON THE MERITS
Mr. Bernstein, who was called to the stand at 4:50 p.m.,
testified about the nature of his personal and employment
relationship with the civilian victims, as well his role in
bringing the allegations against appellant to the attention of
military and civilian law enforcement authorities.
8. MR. BERNSTEIN’S ARTICLE 39(A) TESTIMONY
CONCERNING THE CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE MILITARY JUDGE
When Mr. Bernstein concluded his testimony on the merits,
he remained on the stand while the military judge called an
Article 39(a) session to discuss his out-of-court confrontations
with Mr. Bernstein. The military judge elected not to provide a
narrative of what he knew, see Section III.F., infra, but chose
instead to explore the matter through an examination of Mr.
Bernstein:
32
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
MJ: ... Mr. Bernstein, I received a call from my superior
that you called him or someone else, and told my office--or
told him that I assaulted you by pushing you--
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: And referred to you as a "m*****f*****."
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. Would you please tell the parties here, in case
they have questions of me or you concerning that.
WIT: Your Honor did take me and [demonstrated] went like
that to me, and used vulgarity, "What the f*** do you want
me to do?" and told me that if I did not go in the
courtroom that he would go ahead and put me in lockup. And
I was not subpoenaed by this court at all.
The military judge then attempted to obtain Mr. Bernstein’s
agreement with his own understanding of what had transpired:
MJ: Okay. Now, this began because you stopped--or were
interfering with the government in calling [JB] to court,
is that correct?
WIT: [JB] was not subpoenaed to court, sir.
MJ: Okay. Not my question. Did you interfere with the
prosecutor's attempt to have [JB] brought into court--
WIT: Negative.
MJ: --to provide--
WIT: No, sir.
MJ: Please. My question, so we're clear on the answer:
Did you interfere with--when the prosecution went out to
get [JB] did you attempt to intervene in any way?
WIT: No, sir.
The military judge turned to the issue of whether he had
assaulted Mr. Bernstein:
33
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
MJ: Very well. When I patted you on the shoulder, did you
consider that an assault? That is, an offensive--
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: You did?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: As an offensive touching?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. Was Specialist Cooks--where is he?
SPC Bennett: [From spectator section.] He's gone, sir.
MJ: Say again?
SPC Bennett: He had to go, sir. He had to go to class.
MJ: Tell Specialist Cooks he's a witness.
Specialist Cooks, the 24-year-old, heavy set, African
American gentleman, was present, was he not?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: Very well.
Following that colloquy, the military judge discussed his
use of profanity:
MJ: . . . Okay. Now, I did use profanity. I admit that.
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: And--
WIT: In front of--in front of a 20-year-old child.
MJ: A--yeah, the 20-year-old child who is the part owner
of the corporation?
WIT: Yes, sir.
34
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
MJ: Okay. Now, at the time that I used profanity, you
were in the process of telling me that you were--or you had
or were getting General Schwartz10 on the phone, is that
correct?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: And I told you that I didn't care--I think my words
were "give a f*** what General--"
WIT: You didn't give a f***.
MJ: About General Schwartz, right?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: And I told you that because--I said that I was a judge
and it was my job not to care what commanders think.
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: So, was it more than that?
WIT: You did threaten me, yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. Well, we’ll get to that. And at that point you
looked at [JB]; you said, “I like this man," referring to
me, "because he uses that F-word."
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: So, you told [JB], that 20-year-old child, that you
liked me because I, like you, use the F-word?
WIT: I use "f***" a lot, yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. Good.
WIT: But not in the--but not in the word [sic] that you
used it in.
10
Commander of III Corps, the next step in the chain of command above Major
General LaPorte, who had convened the court-martial as commander of the 1st
Cavalry Division. Both organizations were headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas.
35
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
Subsequently, the military judge and Mr. Bernstein
discussed the military judge’s threat to hold Mr. Bernstein in
contempt of court:
MJ: And the threat was that you advised me that you were
not in court and you were not a soldier, is that correct?
WIT: Yes, sir. And I also did--and I also did, to add
this, I also did advise you that I was not under any
subpoena whatsoever; that I could leave at anytime.
MJ: Correct. And I informed you that if you interfered
with the court that you needed--
WIT: That you would hold me in contempt of court.
MJ: Correct. And that was the threat?
WIT: Yes, sir. I was not--I was not inside your chambers,
sir.
MJ: Okay. But the--
WIT: Okay--
MJ: But the threat was if you interfered with the
proceedings, which included getting, . . . what's-his-face
. . . into the courtroom--
WIT: [JB], sir.
MJ: [JB]. That I would hold you in court--in contempt, is
that correct?
WIT: Yes, sir.
After the military judge completed his discussion with Mr.
Bernstein, he asked whether the parties had any questions. At
that point, a spectator, Mr. Hewitt, interrupted to note that he
was Mr. Bernstein’s attorney. The military judge called a
recess so that Mr. Hewitt could speak with Mr. Bernstein.
36
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
Following the recess, the military judge reconvened the
Article 39(a) session, with Mr. Bernstein on the witness stand.
The military judge began with an explanation for the manner in
which he was proceeding:
MJ: Okay. Let me--let me explain to you why I'm doing
this. I'm doing this because this is information which
possibly might affect how the parties want to proceed in
this trial, and what they want to do and how they want to
do it. That's why I'm doing this. I don't care--I had my
last promotion 3 years ago. Okay. When they don't want me
on the bench anymore, I got a job, and I know when to
retire. I'm not doing this for Keith Hodges. I'm doing
this because I think justice requires it.
Trial counsel then questioned Mr. Bernstein, focusing on
Bernstein’s role on the day before trial and the morning of
trial in terms of convincing a reluctant JB to testify. Trial
counsel did not ask questions concerning the circumstances
surrounding the out-of-court confrontation between Mr. Bernstein
and the military judge, except for the following brief exchange:
TC: Were you concerned about what might happen to him in
this courtroom?
WIT: Yes, sir.
TC: You think that had something to do with what went on
back there in my office and out there?
WIT: Yes, sir.
The defense counsel asked about the origins of the
controversy between Mr. Bernstein and the military judge:
CDC: And because I wasn't actually a party to all of it, I
guess my question is, what was the problem? Was it that
37
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
you didn't want him to testify or was it that he didn't
want to testify and that you convinced him or was it--
WIT: Sir, he--he really was pretty frightened, sir, about
testifying. He did not want to be in the second line-up.
He wanted to be the third line-up, you know, to prepare
himself, sir. And may I add something to this?
CDC: Yes.
WIT: I think I just overreacted, and I don't think the
Honor--the judge or me--I highly apologize to the judge,
and highly apologize that--it was just out of basically
frustration a little bit, Your Honor.
MJ: Okay.
WIT: And--
MJ: I'm not looking for apologies. I mean, I appreciate
it and it's accepted; however, I'm looking for facts and
not anybody to roll over on anything.
WIT: Yes, sir.
CDC: You mean you were threatening to leave the building?
WIT: [JB] was.
CDC: [JB] was?
WIT: Yes, sir.
CDC: And he was threatening to leave through you?
WIT: [JB] did not want to actually be here today. He did
not want to face Quintanilla. He did not want to look at
Mr. Quintanilla. And I told [JB] that this is something
that is--it's his duty.
CDC: Well, I was basically--and the reason I'm asking is
the whole--the whole thing started, from my understanding
is--is because you--you said, "We're out of here. We're
leaving." And they said, "You can't go. You gotta stay."
And you got upset about that. Is that--is that somewhat
accurate?
38
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
WIT: I care about [JB] a lot, you know, and [JB] is a very
personal person if you understand what I'm saying. And he-
-he did not want to testify at this present time against
William Quintanilla because he did not want to look at Mr.
Quintanilla.
CDC: And did he tell the government that he wanted to
leave and did not want to testify--and the government being
the trial counsel people--or did you tell them that?
WIT: No, he told them that.
CDC: Okay. And--and I guess I'm confused about your--so,
he's saying--did he say he was leaving or did you say you
were leaving?
WIT: I told him to go ahead and stay. I--it was in--it's
in his best interest to go ahead and get it over with. Go
ahead and face it and get it over with.
CDC: And how did the controversy then all begin to where
the judge actually had to leave the courtroom to get you?
I mean--
WIT: Over--it was honestly over just frustration. It was
just--I was just frustrated from being here for so long,
and that was my--that was my mistake.
CDC: So, your testimony is that you weren't going to leave
the building, you were going to stay here? You weren't
telling anyone you were leaving? You were going to stay
here?
WIT: Well, I was not under subpoena, you know, and I [sic]
wondering when I was going to be called up, you know. And
I was going to leave the building and get something to eat.
CDC: So, you just said, "I'm going to get something to eat
and I'll be back"?
WIT: Basically. You know--
CDC: And that's what started all of this?
WIT: Yes, sir. And it was--
MJ: Next point, Craig.
39
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
WIT: Say again, sir?
MJ: Next point, Mr. Carlson.
CDC: No further questions.
When the parties completed their questioning, the military
judge provided the following summary:
MJ: For those who may possibly read this record later,
let's back it up; and how at this point somebody may
understand some of the unusual happenings on the record
earlier.
After the testimony of [CS], the government called [JB]--
listen, government, because you got a role in this--called
[JB]. I saw the bailiff come in, and heard her say, "He
doesn't want to testify." I mean, I saw that. Heard it
and saw it. I sent a trial counsel out, and after waiting
for that crab to return to the pot after several minutes,
and he didn't come back. And I remind the parties that
this morning we had a long false start--it took us until
11:00. And then the first thing that happened when [CS]
got on the stand was there was a side-bar where the defense
asked to interview [CS]. So, it was 1:00--12:30 when we
were finally going to hear some evidence. And now, I see,
you know, people taking another unnecessary recess to find
a witness. I'm told that there is a problem with getting
[JB] to come out. Realizing that [JB] is apparently young,
and the dynamics of this case, I went out in my uniform,
not robe, to find out what happened. At that time, I took
a prosecutor--who was who?
TC: Myself, sir.
MJ: Schwind. And I took Mr. Carlson. When I got there,
quite frankly, Mr. Bernstein was hanging off the rafters.
Okay. And he calmed down. He was very upset about some
captain who had mistreated him. I assumed it was Captain
Brown, but later turned out it was Captain Henry, had said
something or done something--it was a fair assumption,
Captain Brown--had said something or done something that
Mr. Bernstein was riled up. It was my goal at that point
to move the trial along. I told Mr. Bernstein, "Don't
worry about the captain." I turned to [JB] and said,
40
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
"[JB], all this stuff about subpoenas and where you're
going to be and not going to be, the point is we can finish
this trial this week and this will be behind you or the
government will have a delay, they'll issue subpoenas, and
we'll be back in here next month. What do you want to do,
[JB]?" JB said, "I want to testify." I said, "Good.
Let's roll." Now, the part where you were present, is that
accurate--
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: --what I just described?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: All right. You got any spins or twists you want to
put on it?
WIT: No animosity at all, sir.
MJ: Well, how about--
WIT: No.
MJ: Forget animosity--
WIT: No. No spins. Nothing, sir.
MJ: Okay. Came back in--came back in, put on the robe,
sat down, and again prosecutors were leaving like rats on a
sinking ship going in the area of the witness room. I
didn't want anymore lawyers to leave the courtroom because
I was having trouble keeping track of them. I was ready to
put transponders on them. But thinking that I needed a
witness would be a good idea, I took trusty Specialist
Cooks with me into the room. At that point, he was on the
telephone either calling Colonel Naccarato--later told
General Schwartz. Mr. Bernstein and I had no problems
understanding each other before. I informed Mr. Bernstein
that I didn't work for General Schwartz; I didn't give a
f*** what General Schwartz did or said, trying to emphasize
that point. And judges don't like to have people think
that commanders tell judges what to do. I'm not trying to
flaunt it, it's just that I can't do my job if I work for
commanders because they be [sic] the convening authority.
Mr. Bernstein was still hanging off the rafters in my view.
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I used my touchy-feely style, I tapped him--thumped him on
the chest with an open hand, man--mano a mano,--
WIT: Kind of like a father.
MJ: --like I did to Captain Brown and said, "Calm down,
let's get a hold of it. We're going to trial. Let's
roll." And the only thing that Mr. Bernstein said to me
was, "Please don't let them beat up on [JB]." And I told
him that I was in charge of the proceedings and that I
would allow the examination to go. Now factually, is that
accurate or inaccurate?
WIT: Yes, sir.
MJ: All right. Any questions? Captain Schwind, Captain
Carlson--Mr. Carlson, all you others who were present in
and out, would anybody like to add or detract from those
facts?
CDC: None from the defense.
TC: No, Your Honor.
MJ: Okay. Mr. Bernstein, do you have anything to add?
WIT: No, sir, I apologize.
MJ: Okay. It's not a problem. It happens. That's why
trials are dynamic processes. Let's take the remainder of
the recess. We're in recess.
Subsequent developments during and after trial would
demonstrate both that Mr. Bernstein had not abandoned the belief
that he had been assaulted and that there was more to the
incident than had been placed on the record. See Section
III.D., infra.
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9. CONTINUATION OF TRIAL ON THE MERITS
DURING THE EVENING OF AUGUST 20
At first, the trial proceeded as if the confrontations
between the military judge and Mr. Bernstein no longer were a
matter of concern. The prosecution resumed its case on the
merits with the testimony of the third alleged civilian victim,
RW, who stated that he had been sexually molested by appellant,
that he had not told anyone about it because he was embarrassed,
and that he only disclosed it after being questioned by his
father. Upon cross-examination by defense counsel, RW said even
though he had not told anyone of the incident prior to being
confronted by his father, it was his understanding that Mr.
Bernstein had told his father that he had been molested. RW
acknowledged that Mr. Bernstein was present at his house on the
day his father confronted him about the molestation. Both
parties asked numerous questions about when RW learned that Mr.
Bernstein was the source of his father’s information. RW’s
answers were inconclusive.
The prosecution continued its case with testimony from RW’s
father, who was also the stepfather of another civilian victim,
JB. Much of the testimony focused on Mr. Bernstein’s role in
urging the father to determine whether RW had been molested, and
his role in pursuing the investigation. Following his
testimony, the court-martial recessed for the night at 8:10 p.m.
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10. DEFENSE COUNSEL’S ALLEGATION OF JUDICIAL BIAS
On the following day, August 21, trial resumed with the
prosecution presenting the testimony of Private First Class
(PFC) B, the alleged victim in one of the indecent assault
charges. PFC B testified that he had spent an evening at
appellant’s house, stayed overnight, and had been grabbed in the
crotch by appellant in the middle of the night. The defense, in
its cross-examination, attempted to raise doubts as to whether
the circumstances demonstrated an indecent touching, and to also
suggest the possibility of consent.
During the cross-examination, the military judge expressed
concern about the pace of defense counsel’s approach, which he
perceived as redundant. When defense counsel began to explore
the nature of PFC B’s relationship with women, the trial counsel
objected that the questions were not relevant. The military
judge responded with a message to trial counsel:
MJ: If he wants to ask that line of
questions, I'm going to go ahead and let
him. I think that--I think that--just let
him go ahead. Sit down, Captain Schwind.
This is one of those objections you don't
want to make.
In reaction to the military judge’s comments, defense
counsel immediately asked for an Article 39(a) session, at which
he asserted that the military judge acted in a “partial” manner
by telling the trial counsel, in front of the members, not to
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
pursue a particular line of objections. The military judge
first responded that he had overruled trial counsel’s objection,
and then set forth a lengthy critique of the defense theory with
respect to the cross-examination of PFC B. When it became
apparent that defense counsel remained concerned, the military
judge offered a defense of his conduct of the trial, including a
reference to his encounter with Mr. Bernstein:
MJ: Mr. Carlson, I want you to think for
just a moment about this entire trial.
CDC: Yes, sir.
MJ: What is the only time that I've gotten
on the lawyers in this case? Truly. I
mean, nitpicky stuff, but what's the only
thing I've really gotten on the lawyers
about? Efficiency.
CDC: Yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. I told you guys why you needed a
reason at 9:00 when we put the members
together. I told you when a witness takes
the stand and before the first question is
asked people want another reason to talk for
an hour. The fact that I want to move this
trial along got me the great pleasure of
having Mr. Bernstein slander my reputation
in the military. I beat on Captain Schwind
to pick up the pace and move on, and I've
done that with you, but less frequently.
Okay.
CDC: Yes, sir, and I will.
The military judge returned to defense counsel’s concern about
his comments during trial, explaining that he had overruled
trial counsel’s relevance objection, even though it might have
45
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been sustained at the time, indicating that defense counsel
subsequently could have established relevance. The record
reflects that before defense counsel could respond, trial
counsel apparently felt obligated to interject a comment in
support of the defense position:
.... I can see part of Mr. Carlson's point,
sir, is that your response to me seemed to
express an opinion as to the worth or the
nonworth of his objection--or my objection
allowing him to testify. I think that many
have been presented.
The military judge apparently realized that an issue had been
raised concerning an appearance of bias, and he engaged in a
further colloquy with defense counsel:
MJ: Okay. Is that your point? Do you
think that--do you think I'm sending
pheromones?
CDC: Yes, sir.
MJ: I'll fix that.
Defense counsel noted that while the pace of his
questioning may have amounted to “slow crawling,” he was nearing
the completion of his examination of PFC B. The military judge,
who viewed the defense concern as a recusal motion, announced
that he would not recuse himself, but that he would instruct the
members not to take any of his remarks about the pace of the
proceedings as “an indication of the worth of anybody’s case.”
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11. THE MILITARY JUDGE SUGGESTS
POST-TRIAL DISQUALIFICATION OF THE CONVENING AUTHORITY
At the conclusion of the Article 39(a) session, there was a
15-minute recess, which apparently included an out-of-court
conference involving the military judge and counsel for the
parties under RCM 802. When the Article 39(a) session was
reconvened, the military judge referred to the RCM 802 session
but did not set forth a clear description of the out-of-court
session on the record. The record indicates that Mr.
Bernstein’s complaint to the commanding general continued to be
a matter of concern, although the record does not clearly
describe the nature of the complaint or how it came to the
attention of the military judge. The military judge, however,
used the occasion to explain that he had decided not to recuse
himself, and that he thought the convening authority should
disqualify himself from post-trial action in the case:
MJ: I don't think this is on the record,
let's do it quickly. I was informed during
802 that we held in the courtroom that
apparently--at what point in the proceedings
did Mr. Bernstein talk to Colonel Lisowski11
and/or the commanding general?
TC: I guess after he testified, sir.
DC: Yesterday evening, sir.
11
The record does not identify “Colonel” Lisowski or his role at that point.
The post-trial proceedings indicate Lieutenant Colonel Lisowski was the Staff
Judge Advocate of the commander of the 1st Cavalary Division, the convening
authority.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
MJ: The offer has been made to me for me to
talk to Colonel Lisowski to know the nature
of the conversations. While initially that
appeared to be an attractive thing, I've
decided that I don't want to hear about what
Mr. Bernstein might have said because it
might have involved me, and I don't want
anybody to think that I care what the
general says. And if I don't know what the
general thinks, then I can't be influenced
by what the general thinks. I've made my
rulings. If I thought for a moment what Mr.
Bernstein had done with regard to me
affected my ability to try this case fairly,
I would have recused myself. And I did not.
However, I think it's a good point that the
government should seriously consider in its
post-trial actions if we get to a post-trial
action, that a convening authority other
that the current convening authority be
used. And there's a law on that, and I'll
leave it there.
The military judge did not explain why the circumstances would
require disqualification of the convening authority but not the
military judge.
The military judge then asked if there was “[a]ny other
matter” the parties wanted to pursue on that subject. Defense
counsel suggested that the military defense counsel might have
some knowledge about the subject:
CDC: Sir, we would--eventually we would
like to put in on the record. I'm not sure
if this is the point to put this on the
record, but we do--Captain Brown does have
knowledge of what happened, and I think it's
important for it to be on the record at some
point.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
MJ: Is it important for it to be on the
record for purposes of the merits or
purposes of post-trial?
CDC: Post-trial, sir. And I don't know--
MJ: Okay. . . .
The military judge, however, decided to not follow-up, so the
issue was never explored on the record.
12. FURTHER TESTIMONY ABOUT MR. BERNSTEIN’S REACTION TO THE
CONFRONTATION WITH THE MILITARY JUDGE
The military judge changed the subject, which led to
consideration of whether Mr. Bernstein had attempted to
influence the testimony of any of the witnesses in the waiting
room:
MJ: . . .Well, let's do it this way, is
there anything that you are aware of right
now that's been done in this case on the
Bernstein situation that affects Sergeant
Quintanilla's right or ability to get a fair
trial?
CDC: Well, sir, actually there may be, and
it's not something that we've just talked
about, but it's come to my attention that in
the last 5 minutes that he has talked to our
witnesses yesterday while they were waiting
for this trial.
MJ: Mr. Bernstein did?
CDC: Yes, sir. Telling them that my client
is guilty. Now, I told Captain Brown before
I wanted to make an issue of this that I was
going to ask for time to go interview these
people to find out what was said because I
do not want to mislead the court or misstate
something that was actually said.
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At that point, PFC B was on the witness stand, and the
military judge decided to question him about Bernstein’s
interaction with the other witnesses. PFC B described Bernstein
as “annoying” and told the military judge that Bernstein “was
mostly bitching about [demonstrated] you hit him on the chest.”
PFC B stated that Bernstein had not affected his testimony.
The military judge questioned PFC B further about the
nature of Bernstein’s remarks, and this led to further testimony
about the confrontation between Bernstein and the military
judge:
MJ: Was Mr. Bernstein talking to you
personally or was he carping out loud in a
crowd in which you were present?
WIT: He was just talking out loud, sir.
MJ: Okay. So, was he talking to you or you
were just in a group to whoever he was
talking?
WIT: He was basically talking out loud
within a couple of people that were sitting
in there, sir.
MJ: Okay. And about when was this?
WIT: It was right after you came out and
spoke to him, sir, and the MP's showed up,
sir.
MJ: Okay. What did he say?
WIT: Basically, he was [expletive] about it
being [expletive] that he had to stay here,
sir. That he's being held on Fort Hood as a
captive.
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MJ: What else did he say?
WIT: He was going to call up General
Schwartz, sir, or whatever.
MJ: What else did he say?
WIT: Not really much else other than like
you hit him on the shoulder, and you hit
him.
MJ: Yeah. What else did he say? We've
already squared that away. What else did he
say?
WIT: Captain Henry is an [expletive].
MJ: You like saying that, didn't you, B*?
Okay. What else did he say?
WIT: Nothing other than that that I really
paid attention to. I was kind of laughing
at him, sir.
MJ: Why did you think he was annoying?
WIT: Because he was bragging about he was a
business owner in Killeen, and "I ran for
city council," and blah, blah, blah. Like I
really give [an expletive], sir.
MJ: Any questions of [PFC B]?
CDC: No, sir.
TC: No, sir.
The military judge ended the Article 39(a) session shortly
thereafter. When the members returned to the courtroom, the
military judge endeavored to address the defense concern that
his remarks had evidenced a bias against the defense by
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instructing the members and by apologizing to counsel for the
tenor of his remarks.
13. THE HEIGHTENED FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF MR. BERNSTEIN
Following the military judge’s remarks, the trial continued
with the balance of PFC B’s testimony and testimony from the
other military victim, CJ, who had since left the Army. The
military judge asked if there were “[a]ny questions of [CJ]
concerning any contact he might have had with Mr. B?” Trial
counsel responded that he had no questions. In response to
questions from defense counsel, CJ noted that he had been in a
room with Bernstein and other witnesses, that Bernstein had made
a number of remarks which may have been directed at everyone in
the room, that Bernstein had referred to appellant as a
pedophile, and that in an apparent reference to appellant’s
guilt, Bernstein had said: “You guys put him away.”
The military judge suggested that it would be appropriate
for defense counsel to call other persons to testify as to
whether Bernstein had influenced witnesses outside the
courtroom. Trial counsel disagreed. Without resolving the
matter, the military judge began his own examination of CJ in an
effort to further explore whether his testimony had been
influenced by Bernstein. In the course of his responses, CJ
described Bernstein as a person who “[doesn’t] think before he
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talks.” When the military judge asked him to explain his
opinion, CJ referred to circumstances apparently involving the
confrontation between Bernstein and the military judge:
MJ: Well, let's handle that issue first.
Do you care what Mr. Bernstein's opinion is
or what he wants you to do in this case?
WIT: I don't care. I really don't care
about him. I think he's just a pretty loud
fellow.
TC: He turned everybody off--
MJ: Wait. Wait. How would you describe
his personality style? How did he affect
you?
WIT: I don't think he handles himself very
well.
MJ: Why do you say that?
WIT: I think he just--I don't think he
thinks before he talks. I think he just
reacts.
MJ: Why do you believe that?
WIT: Well, during the course of the day--
well, we--the guy--me and the other people
that were in the room off and on caught some
things here and there. I didn't really know
what was going on. I believe there was an
incident with you that he was--that he at
one time was getting really loud about. I
remember him saying he's going to get
himself a $5000 lawyer, which didn't seem
practical at all to me.
MJ: There are $5000 lawyers in Killeen.
WIT: I believe it. I not--I just--
MJ: Okay. Go ahead.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
WIT: I didn't think his situation warranted
that at all. I thought he was just
reacting.
MJ: And all the ones in this town that can
charge $5000 or more are worth it. But go
ahead.
WIT: As far as his personality goes, like I
said, I just think he's loud and he doesn't-
-he doesn't think before he speaks. He just
reacts. However his emotions are going, he
just says--just talks without thinking.
After further questioning, the military judge summarized [CJ’s]
testimony about Mr. Bernstein’s conduct in front of the other
witnesses in terms of a “desire or hope . . . that everybody
[would] kind of hear it in a blow hard kind of way.”
When the military judge continued to pursue various
theories as to the motivation for Mr. Bernstein’s actions, trial
counsel stated that he would object to any testimony on the
merits along those lines. The military judge rejected trial
counsel’s argument, emphasizing that “Mr. Bernstein is the hub
with respect to the allegations involving the three people who
have never been soldiers.”
The military judge then indicated that he was concerned
about Bernstein’s credibility, noting: “I watched Mr. Bernstein
come in here with respect to me to tell me one thing and when
we’re all over, it was something completely else.” Although the
record does not identify the specific incident covered by the
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
military judge’s remarks, it would appear that in the context of
their out-of-court confrontations, he was referring to the
contrast between Mr. Bernstein’s apologetic approach in court
and his subsequent allegations that he had been assaulted by the
military judge.
The military judge ruled that the defense would have the
opportunity to challenge Mr. Bernstein’s motive and bias, and
that the defense could call witnesses to testify before the
members on the merits with respect to Mr. Bernstein’s out-of-
court comments about appellant in front of the other witnesses.
Trial counsel noted that Mr. Bernstein would be required to
testify again if called, because a subpoena had been issued to
him, although there might be some difficulty in obtaining his
appearance. In response, the military judge emphasized Mr.
Bernstein’s central role in the trial:
MJ: Happy to sign a warrant of attachment
if suddenly [Mr. Bernstein’s business]
becomes more important than this court-
martial. I'm not trying to be vindictive,
I'm just trying to say that he's made
himself an issue in this case, and if he--
and he's completely told us a thousand times
"I don't have a subpoena. I don't have a
subpoena," when, in fact, he does have a
subpoena. And I want this trial--we owe it
to Sergeant Quintanilla and the others that
we have this trial and it have closure.
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14. THE MILITARY JUDGE QUESTIONS
THE SPECTATORS ABOUT MR. BERNSTEIN
After an exchange with counsel regarding a separate
evidentiary issue, the military judge changed the subject and
began to question the spectators in the courtroom about Mr.
Bernstein, without calling them to the stand to present sworn
testimony. First, he apparently noticed that Mr. Emerick, the
Government’s expert witness, wanted to say something:
MJ: . . . Mr. Emerick, who has patiently--
the government expert who has patiently been
waiting, has a question.
MR. EMERICK: [From the spectator section.]
Well, on this Bernstein thing, I--he
attempted to engage me in a conversation
yesterday too.
MJ: Would you like to come up here and join
us please. Well, I'll tell you--wait.
Wait. We're killing the reporter. Has he--
have you heard anything that he said or did
with you was it anymore substantial or any
different than what's been described so far
since you've been here all along.
MR. EMERICK: No, I just told him that it's
inappropriate for us to be talking and left.
MJ: Great. I think that some of the
lawyers might want to talk to you during the
recess. And I think that your answer was a
good one. Thank you.12
12
When Mr. Emerick subsequently testified on the merits, defense counsel
asked him whether Mr. Bernstein had approached him on the previous day. Mr.
Emerick testified that he had told Mr. Bernstein that he was a witness and
did not want to talk to him about the case.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
For reasons that are not apparent in the record, the military
judge then decided to engage another spectator, CPT Henry, in a
further discussion of the initial incident concerning
Bernstein’s role in JB’s reluctance to testify:
MJ: . . . Captain Henry, your name has here
[sic]. Why don't you just give me a
Reader's Digest version of what contract
[sic] with Mr. Bernstein apparently was the
precipitous event that caused him to prevent
the calling of [JB].
CPT HENRY: [From the spectator section.]
Yes, sir. After Specialist Cooks went in to
get the one witness, and I can't remember
the young man's name--
MJ: The short guy with the bad haircut?
CPT HENRY: Yes, sir.
MJ: All right.
CPT HENRY: Captain Schwind asked me to go
get him. I went into the office, closed
door, I had Specialist Cooks with me. [CS]
was in the office there and I asked the
young man to come with me, that he's been
called to the witness chair.
* * *
CPT HENRY: And I asked him to come with me,
that Captain Schwind had called him to the
witness stand and it's his turn. And Mr.
Bernstein said, "No, he's not going
anywhere." I asked him who he was. He
replied that he was an employer. And I
said, "Well, sir, it's my understanding he
is the next witness and he has to come with
me and take the stand." He said, "No, he's
not going anywhere, in fact, we're leaving."
I said, "No, sir, it's my understanding you
have a subpoena--or he has a subpoena." He
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
said, "Wrong, that's not true." I said,
"Well, sir, Captain Schwind would like for
him to take the stand." And he started
yelling and sticking his finger in my face.
And I said "Well, sir--"
MJ: Did he assault you, Captain Henry?
CPT HENRY: No, sir.
MJ: All right. Go ahead.
CPT HENRY: After that I said, "Sir, are you
his guardian or parent?" And he said--
start--just kept on yelling. I said, "Well,
sir, you have no say in this right now."
And that's when Captain Schwind came out and
asked me to leave.
MJ: All right. Now, to your knowledge is
this the first that I knew of the events
that you had with Mr. Bernstein?
CPT HENRY: Yes, sir.
MJ: Was it your impression that he was
attempting to prevent the calling of [JB]?
CPT HENRY: At that particular point, yes,
sir, I think he didn't like the order that
it was going in.
MJ: Oh, well. And what was [JB’s] level of
emotion in dealing with you?
CPT HENRY: [JB] didn't say a word--
MJ: Oh, I'm sorry. What was Mr.
Bernstein's level of emotion?
CPT HENRY: Very agitated. Angry. Yelling.
Excited.
MJ: Questions for Captain Henry while he's
here?
TC: No, sir.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
CDC: No, sir.
15. THE PROSECUTIONS RECUSAL MOTION, ALLEGING THAT THE MILITARY
JUDGE WAS SEEKING TO FORCE AN ACQUITTAL IN ORDER TO AVOID A
VERBATIM RECORD
Later in the Article 39(a) session, the military judge
considered a defense objection to the proposed testimony of two
prosecution witnesses to the effect that appellant engaged in
other conduct similar to his conduct with the two military
victims. In the course of considering whether evidence of this
uncharged misconduct was admissible, the prosecution argued that
it was important for the members to hear from witnesses who had
not been contacted by Mr. Bernstein, “[because] the defense has
. . . made an issue of the fact that th[e] witnesses . . . are
all lying and they are all collaborating among each other . . .
maybe with Bill Bernstein, who knows?”
During consideration of the issue, defense counsel stated,
“I haven’t made an issue of Bill Bernstein aside from . . . I
want the . . . people to know he was telling people, but-–.”
The military judge cut him off, noting that the testimony at
issue concerned the alleged military victims, not the three
alleged civilian victims. Eventually, the military judge
sustained the defense objection, but noted that the evidence
would be admissible if the defense opened the door.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
Shortly after the military judge ruled in favor of the
defense, the prosecution moved that the military judge recuse
himself from the trial. The trial counsel argued that the
defense had opened the door to admissibility of the uncharged
misconduct, but that the military judge would not let the
evidence in “because of a side agreement with the defense
counsel he’s not going to talk about it any more.” Trial
counsel apparently believed that the military judge was
unwilling to adhere to his previous decision to admit the
evidence if the defense opened the door, and asserted: “I don’t
believe, sir, we’re getting a fair opportunity to present our
case here today.”
The exchange between trial counsel and the military judge
quickly moved from discussion of an evidentiary objection into a
motion for recusal:
MJ: Want me to recuse myself?
TC: Yes, sir, we do.
MJ: Okay. And, the basis is?
TC: The basis is that right now your
relationship with Mr. Carlson is obviously -
- we don’t know what’s going on, sir.
Trial counsel then attempted to explain why he believed the
military judge was not fairly applying the rules concerning
uncharged misconduct. The military judge responded:
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
My relationship with Mr. Carlson is simply
that I’ve seen Mr. Carlson in court. He’s a
hard fighter, but he’s a fair fighter. If
you want to recuse me for that basis, that’s
fine. I’ll tell you, I think the same of
you.
The military judge attempted to explain why he disagreed
with trial counsel’s position on the uncharged misconduct issue,
which led to the following exchange:
TC: Again, sir, you told us earlier that if
the facts change we get a different ruling
as well.
MJ: Okay. Then maybe you don't get it,
Captain Schwind, they ain't changed enough
for me.
TC: Sir, then in that case we request you
recuse yourself on the basis that we feel
you do not want a verbatim transcript of
this trial made.
MJ: That's so ridiculous I'm not even going
to address it. Do you have another basis?
TC: No, sir.
MJ: I've been accused of many things, but
being a gutless judge is not one of them.
TC: Sir, the way you talk to Mr. Carlson--
we were going over this--we really believe
that the government, if we still have the
burden and I think we still do, we're not
getting a fair shot at putting on the
evidence to prove that up. And, attempt to
prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, each and
every element that you still instruct and
that the defense has put in issue with their
cross-examination.
MJ: If I were your rater or commanding
officer I would send you home for the
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weekend to write me a tome on 403. It
appears to me you don't understand it so
therefore I don't want to discuss it.
Overruled. Sit down. Call the members.
Faced with a decision by the military judge to not recuse
himself, the trial counsel sought a different forum for
addressing his evidentiary objection, which led to the following
colloquy with the military judge:
TC: We request leave to consider a
government appeal, sir.
MJ: Oh, really?
TC: Yes, sir.
MJ: You--What [sic] a second. Stop. Okay.
TC: All we need is two hours, sir.
MJ: Pardon me?
TC: We got to have a conference with some
people. Two hours to make that decision one
way or another on the particular ruling on
the 404 and 413 evidence . . . .
MJ: Two hours. So, I should send the jury
home for two hours?
TC: Yes, sir.
MJ: Okay. And, the appeal would be based
upon what, the 403 ruling?
TC: The 403 ruling and your decision not to
recuse yourself, as well, from this trial.
The military judge decided to continue the discussion with
one of the spectators, Captain Henry, rather than counsel:
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MJ: Captain Henry, have you talked to GAD13
about this?
CPT HENRY: [Seated behind the bar.] No. Sir.
MJ: Okay. Let’s take 10 minutes. You call
the chief of GAD and you say the military
judge made a rule to keep out uncharged
misconduct based upon Rule 403. Do you want
to play 403 at all? Call them, see what
happens. Ten minutes.
These remarks were followed by a 30-minute recess. When
the Article 39(a) session reconvened, the military judge began
with an apparent reference to an off-the-record discussion, the
meaning of which is not entirely clear from the record:
My understanding is that you haven’t had
sufficient time because of availability to
keep her, so now to get a preliminary call
what you want to do [sic].
The military judge asked the parties for their views as to
whether the proceedings should continue while he considered
whether his rulings were subject to an appeal by the Government
under RCM 908(a). Both parties agreed that the trial should
proceed while the military judge took the government appeal
issue under advisement.
The prosecution proceeded with its case on the merits.
After several witnesses testified, trial counsel asked for an
Article 39(a) session. Before acting on that request, the
military judge addressed the spectators and asked CPT Henry
13
The Government Appellate Division. See Art. 70, UCMJ, 10 USC § 870.
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whether there would be an interlocutory government appeal. CPT
Henry provided an ambiguous response, indicating either that a
decision had not been made or that an interlocutory appeal would
not be filed. At that point, the military judge convened an
Article 39(a) session, at which he reiterated his decision to
sustain the defense objection to presentation of uncharged
misconduct. After considering several other matters, the
military judge granted defense counsel’s request for a brief
recess prior to presentation of the defense case on the merits.
16. THE MILITARY JUDGE’S WARNING TO THE MEMBERS
TO AVOID READING STORIES IN THE LOCAL MEDIA
Before the defense could proceed with its case, the
military judge called an Article 39(a) session to advise the
parties of the latest developments concerning Mr. Bernstein:
I have been reliably informed that Mr.
Bernstein has gone to the newspapers to tell
his story of my assaulted [sic] behavior
toward him. And, secondly, he has filed a
complaint this morning with the military
police, charging me with assault and I don’t
think I need a lawyer [chuckles]. In any
case, if I did, it would cost less than
$5,000.
Without asking for a reaction from the parties, the military
judge changed the subject and initiated a discussion concerning
the presentation of the defense on the merits. Defense counsel,
however, remained concerned about Mr. Bernstein:
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CDC: There’s allegedly an article going to
be published in the Killeen paper now.
MJ: I will tell the members not to read the
newspaper.
It will be about me. The members, to my
knowledge, know nothing about Mr. Bernstein
and Captain Henry and Colonel Hodges.
CDC: Okay, sir. I just want to make sure --
that’s fine.
MJ: I’ll make it very generic.
CDC: Okay. Yes, sir.
When the members assembled, the military judge provided a
generic instruction to avoid exposure to the local news, which
was supplemented upon request from defense counsel:
MJ: . . . I instruct you that you will not
listen to the local news tonight. Just do
something else. And, that you will not read
any local paper, that means not only the
Killeen paper, but Austin, Temple, Belton.
I do that only because there is the
possibility, however slight, that somebody
might put something in the paper. I have no
idea if or what they might say, but I just
want to make sure that all sides get a fair
trial. Any questions about that? So just
suck it up, tell you[r] wives or loved ones
or you[r] dog or whoever brings the paper to
you that just put it aside and you’ll pick
it up later on. Alright. Thank you. Mr.
Carlson, is there any evidence the defense
would like to present?
CDC: Sir, yes, but in your instruction you
were going to indicate, I believe that it
has nothing to do with the trial or the
people in the trial --
MJ: Right.
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CDC: -- beside from yourself.
MJ: Right. It’s purely prophylactic; that
is, protective. In the event that somebody
wants to write an article about Mr. Carlson
or about me or about Captain Henry or about
somebody else, that you might possibly
relate to this trial. Just -- I don’t know
if they will, I’m just guessing that there
is that possibility. When a trial goes more
than a day or 2, people sniff around and
they might write articles and I just don’t
want you to have to wrestle with that.
17. THE DEFENSE CASE FOCUSES ON MR. BERNSTEIN’S
INFLUENCE ON THE WITNESSES
The first defense witness was Sergeant (SGT) Melton, who
had lived with appellant for a period of time. Defense
counsel’s questioning immediately focussed on whether Mr.
Bernstein had attempted to influence the testimony of the
Government’s witnesses in the waiting room during trial:
Q. [Defense Counsel:] Did he [Bernstein]
tell them [the witnesses in the waiting
room] to respond different to the government
as opposed to when I ask them questions?
A. [Sergeant Melton] Yes sir, he said, “When
you [defense counsel] ask questions, simply
say yes or no, and when the government
ask[s] questions go in depth in the answer,”
sir.
Q. Did he tell them how their demeanor
should look as they come in the courtroom
and whether they should face the jury or how
they should look?
A. He told them, “Be serious and solemn and
not to smile,” sir.
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Trial counsel’s cross-examination of SGT Melton sought to
demonstrate that Mr. Bernstein had been speaking generally to
all the witnesses and that the remarks had not influenced
Melton.
After the defense finished presenting its case, the
prosecution sought to revisit the military judge’s ruling
excluding evidence of uncharged misconduct. The military judge,
during an Article 39(a) session, declined to change his view
that the evidence in question was unduly prejudicial under Mil.
R. Evid. 403. The prosecution also sought to have the uncharged
misconduct admitted on the grounds that the prosecution needed
to rebut the defense theory that the witnesses had been tainted
through their out-of-court contact with Mr. Bernstein. In the
course of that argument, the prosecution emphasized that Mr.
Bernstein’s conduct outside the courtroom had become a central
issue in the case: “The defense has gone with this theory, not
just weakly put it out there, they have gone with this hard,
bringing the whole trial s[a]ga that went on outside this
courtroom. They relied on that theory heavily.” The military
judge countered that the Government could rely on the testimony
of the two military victims of the charged misconduct, who had
not been associated with Bernstein, and did not need further
evidence in the form of uncharged misconduct to rebut the
defense theory that Mr. Bernstein had influenced the testimony
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of the witnesses. After further discussion regarding
instructions, the military judge recessed the court-martial for
the evening.
18. THE COURT-MARTIAL CONSIDERS PRESS COVERAGE OF THE
CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN THE MILITARY JUDGE AND MR. BERNSTEIN
Shortly after the court-martial reconvened on the morning
of August 22, the military judge noted that defense counsel had
“an issue with respect to a newspaper article this morning,” and
directed trial counsel to include an article from the Killeen
Daily Herald in the record as an appellate exhibit. The
article, headlined “Killeen Man Files Complaint Against Judge,”
stated that Mr. Bernstein had filed a “simple assault” complaint
against the military judge. Based upon information from the
installation’s public affairs office, the article summarized the
proceedings, noted that the military judge had “put the incident
on the record,” and observed that “[n]o motions were filed”
concerning the incident. The article also stated that “military
authorities are investigating the incident” and attributed the
following to Mr. Bernstein:
“I filed the complaint because I feel the
gentleman had no right to touch me.”
Bernstein said Wednesday. He said the
incident occurred when he, along with
another witness, were waiting outside the
courtroom.
Bernstein said Hodges came from the
courtroom trying to “verbally force one of
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the witnesses to testify.” Bernstein said
he entered into the discussion when the
military judge turned to him and “smacked me
on the left hand side of my chest four
times.”
During the incident, Bernstein said the
judge informed him to “stay out of this.
This is not your business.” Bernstein also
alleges that the judge used profanity.
19. DEFENSE SEEKS TO IDENTIFY A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
CONFRONTATIONS AND THE MERITS OF THE CHARGES AGAINST APPELLANT
The defense counsel then presented a summary of his
understanding as to what had transpired between the military
judge and Mr. Bernstein at trial. Although it appears that he
was summarizing what the military judge previously had placed on
the record during the Article 39(a) session with Mr. Bernstein
on the previous day, it is not clear which parts of the defense
counsel’s description were based upon the military judge’s
summary and which parts were based upon defense counsel’s
observations. Defense counsel did not clearly articulate his
purpose in raising the issue, and the military judge did not
clarify the information or the purpose for which it was being
offered. It appears, however, that he was laying the groundwork
for subsequent introduction of evidence that would contrast the
information in the record of trial about the incident with Mr.
Bernstein’s comments to the press. Although not articulated at
this point in the record, it appears that the defense wanted to
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discredit Mr. Bernstein by showing his penchant for
exaggeration.
20. THE CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN THE MILITARY JUDGE AND
MR. BERNSTEIN BECOME THE SUBJECT OF A STIPULATION
FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE MEMBERS ON THE MERITS
Defense counsel told the military judge that he had
approached the Government with a proposed stipulation of fact
regarding the incident, “so we can get on with our closing and
get this trial in to the jury.” Trial counsel advised the
military judge that the prosecution declined to enter into the
stipulation because it viewed the information as irrelevant.
The military judge then focused on Mr. Bernstein’s relationship
to the charged offenses:
MJ: Do you know where your Achilles’ heel is
in this case?
TC: Oh, yes, sir.
MJ: Where do you think it is?
TC: It is wherever Mr. Bernstein is this
morning sir.
[The parties chuckle.]
MJ: That’s right. And, the problem is that
Mr. Bernstein . . . is . . . a control
freak. . . . The point is, is that he
controls [JB]. Whether it’s improperly or
not, is not important to me because that’s
decided by the members.
The military judge added that if live testimony was needed, CPT
Henry could testify that Mr. Bernstein “went ballistic” and
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“attempted to intercede” when he learned that the testimony
would not proceed in the way Bernstein anticipated. Trial
counsel said that he would stipulate to that fact, but would not
stipulate to Mr. Bernstein’s actions after he testified in terms
of complaining to the command, the MPs, and the press. The
military judge replied that he viewed Mr. Bernstein’s behavior
as relevant to showing “the depth in his control” over JB. The
military judge added that information was relevant to show the
“depth of his commitment” to “his cause, whatever it may be”
because it would demonstrate that
after apologizing in court and saying, “It
didn’t happen,” or words to that effect, and
schmoozing everybody in the courtroom, he
left that night, talked to General LaPorte -
- I am told -- What he said, I don’t know --
and that night or the following day went to
talk to either the PAO or the press . . . .
The military judge’s comments led to the following exchange with
trial counsel:
MJ: [D]oesn’t that show you a guy who is
committed to whatever his agenda is?
TC: Well, not necessarily sir. He’s
committed to getting back at you and for
touching him . . . and offending him in that
matter --
MJ: -- You can argue that --
Trial counsel added that Mr. Bernstein’s comments to the MPs and
the press concerning his confrontation with the military judge
were not relevant to
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what the accused did to a close friend of
his, [JB]. There's no connection there
between that. He got upset because of what
happened to him, and he was willing to
follow through even after taking the stand
and saying he was ---
The military judge interrupted trial counsel’s argument, began
to read the proposed stipulation, and inquired about Mr.
Bernstein’s availability to testify. When it appeared that
there might be some delay in obtaining Mr. Bernstein’s
testimony, the military judge asked defense counsel whether he
would prefer to have Mr. Bernstein return to the stand. Defense
counsel replied that he would be glad to have Mr. Bernstein
testify, but indicated that he would prefer to proceed by
stipulation rather than to have a delay in which the members
might “forget the testimony they heard.”
After declaring that “Bernstein is inextricably linked to
some major issues in this case,” the military judge asked trial
counsel if the prosecution was willing to stipulate. Trial
counsel reiterated the prosecution’s unwillingness to stipulate.
The military judge made it clear that Mr. Bernstein’s activities
were relevant, and that in the absence of a stipulation, Mr.
Bernstein would have to testify.
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21. THE PROSECUTION IDENTIFIES THE MILITARY JUDGE
AS A WITNESS ON THE MERITS
Trial counsel responded by making it clear that if the
confrontation between the military judge and Mr. Bernstein was
relevant to the merits of the case, the military judge could
become a witness in the proceedings. The military judge reacted
by suggesting that if there was no stipulation, there might be a
mistrial that could preclude further proceedings:
MJ: [I]f you call me, you get to try this
case all over again, and you get to figure
out whether or not you want to wrestle with
double jeopardy. What do you want to do,
Captain Schwind?
TC: Sir, if they put Mr. Bernstein on, and
he recalls events differently we’ll have --
to try to point the finger at you.
MJ: Then I’m sure you’ll stipulate. You can
do what you want to, Captain Schwind. I’m
going to let you roll this dice any way you
want to. Just like we did on the appeal
issue the other day, I just want you to
think it through.
22. THE MILTIARY JUDGE CONSIDERS DISQUALIFICATION
BUT DECIDES NOT TO RECUSE HIMSELF
In a further discussion about Mr. Bernstein’s complaints to
the command and the press, the military judge emphasized that
his confrontations with Bernstein were relevant because “the
degree to which the three non-soldier alleged victims are under
the control of anyone -- you, the defense, Mr. Bernstein,
anybody else -- is an issue in this case. It’s obvious to
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everybody in this courtroom.” Trial counsel disagreed with the
theory that Bernstein’s complaints about the military judge were
relevant to the merits of the case. The military judge
responded:
The trial is whether or not the three young
men are telling the truth, as well as Mr.
Bernstein. And, a question of whether or
not those young men are telling the truth,
that is, their credibility, depends on who
was driving the train.
Trial counsel then reformulated his objection under Mil. R.
Evid. 403, contending that even if Bernstein’s complaints were
minimally relevant, evidence about those matters would “confuse
the issues, mislead the panel, and it’s going to unfairly
prejudice the Government’s ability to put on a case.” After
rejecting the prosecution’s argument, the military judge
provided the parties with a copy of the stipulation, reflecting
his proposed changes. In one of the changes, he proposed to
delete references to himself and substitute the phrase “court
official.” Trial counsel agreed, but defense counsel thought it
was important to refer to the “military judge.” Defense
counsel’s insistence that the stipulation expressly refer to the
confrontation between Bernstein and the “military judge” caused
the military judge to ruminate about the subject of recusal:
MJ: Well, now I have to decide whether or
not I should recuse myself notwithstanding
no motion by anybody [sic]. Do you think
that your position in this case -- your
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position in how you complete this case is
going to interject me as a victim?
Defense counsel assured the military judge that he was not going
to portray the judge in that manner, but also added that it was
important to the defense that the members understand that the
incident involved Bernstein and the military judge, “the senior
person around here.” The military judge made a further attempt
to persuade the defense counsel to change the references in the
stipulation to a “senior field grade judge advocate” or a
“senior field grade member of the Judge Advocate General’s
Corps,” but the defense counsel declined to agree to such a
change.
After the parties and the military judge reviewed the
substance of the stipulation, they then considered whether it
should be treated as a stipulation of testimony, which would be
read to the members but not sent to the deliberation room, or a
stipulation of fact, which could either be read to the members
or sent to the deliberation room, or both. See RCM 811(f).
Eventually, the military judge determined that it was a
stipulation of fact, and offered the following reflection on the
tenor of his dealings with trial counsel:
It appears to me, Captain Schwind, that it
would be very reasonable for you to believe
that I’ve mugged you at every corner and not
done the same to the defense; and that’s not
an unreasonable perception. . . . So, I
tell you that any pressure you felt to
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stipulate to Mr. Bernstein’s testimony, I
extract and remove. And, I want you to do
what you want to do. . . . And, I’m willing
to do what it takes to get [Mr. Bernstein]
here. What do you want to do? Talk to
Captain Henry.
The trial counsel quickly responded that the prosecution had “no
interest in bringing Mr. Bernstein back into the courtroom.”
23. THE STIPULATION’S DESCRIPTION OF THE CONFRONTATIONS
BETWEEN THE MILITARY JUDGE AND MR. BERNSTEIN
The members returned to the courtroom, and the military
judge proceeded as follows:
MJ: And, I'm now going to give you - - read
to you a stipulation of fact, which I think
will at last explain to you why you've been
held in abeyance as we struggled with this
issue.
You're advised that a stipulation of
fact is an agreement between the prosecution
and the defense, with the express consent of
the accused, that what I'm about to read to
you are the uncontradicted facts or are
uncontradicted facts in this case.
[Reading:] "[JB] was called as a
witness by the prosecution - - And, you'll
also have this with you in deliberation.
You're getting it now so that you'll
understand counsel's argument.
[Reading:] "[JB] was called as a
witness by the prosecution. When he was
called, he did not immediately appear in the
courtroom. The bailiff entered the
courtroom to tell Captain Schwind that he,
[JB], refused to testify. The military
judge called a brief recess to find out what
was happening.
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The military judge went to the witness
waiting area to determine if this witness
did want to testify. There was a
confrontation with Mr. Bill Bernstein who
tried to prevent [JB] from testifying. He
was very agitated and threatened to take
action. The military judge touched Mr.
Bernstein in an effort to get his attention.
Mr. Bernstein calmed down and allowed [JB]
to testify.
The same day Mr. Bernstein contacted
the military judge's superior and told him,
the superior, that the judge had assaulted
him and cursed him.
A session was held outside of the panel
where Mr. Bernstein apologized for his
temper and the whole situation. He said it
was merely an act of frustration on his
part, and further said that he had no
problem with the military judge. He added
that the incident was behind him.
That evening Mr. Bernstein contacted
several people on Fort Hood, including
senior officers, to tell them that he was
assaulted and cursed. He said that he was
not treated with the proper respect. He
went on to add that we, in quotes, “did not
know who he was; and that, he had very
powerful friends.”
Mr. Bernstein then filed a complaint
with the Fort Hood Military Police against
the military judge for assault. He also
went to the Killeen Daily Herald newspaper,
and as a result of this visit - - that
visit, an article was published in today's
edition of the daily newspaper. The article
accused the military judge of assault and
using foul language in his presence.
After reading the stipulation, the military judge provided
the following guidance to the members:
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Now, the parties will tell you why they
think that's important. That's not my job,
but let me tell you what's very important,
and then I have a couple of questions for
you.
I'm not a witness to this case. My
credibility is not an issue. What happened
with respect to the stipulation of fact in
terms of my role - - my question to you is:
Does that bother anybody?
MEMBERS: [Appear to respond in negative.]
MJ: Do you understand that my job is as the
sole source of the law; however, I cannot
give you the law effectively and cannot
expect you to follow the law if you have
reservations about whether or not the guy
giving you the law might be out of his mind?
MEMBERS: [Appear to respond in negative.]
MJ: Any reservations whatsoever?
MEMBERS: [Appear to respond in negative.]
MJ: Negative reply from the members.
I also want you to appreciate that you
understand that my role, with respect to
that stipulation, was not an attempt to help
either side, not an opinion on my part as to
what was proper or improper, a good tactic
or a bad tactic; that, my role, my
involvement, in that was simply to do what
I've been trying to do since the beginning
of this trial, and that was to get the
witnesses and the evidence moving; in other
words, a logistical matter and nothing more.
Does everyone understand that?
MEMBERS: [Appear to nod in affirmative.]
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24. CONSIDERATION OF THE CONFRONTATIONS DURING CLOSING ARGUMENTS
After a brief summary of the prosecution’s evidence, the
Government promptly turned to the confrontations between Mr.
Bernstein and the military judge, in an effort to preempt the
defense reliance on the stipulation:
What was the defense case? What was their
argument. Well, you can tell. You can tell
from what came in today. Their scant
evidence was that a Mr. Bernstein, a
pompous, civilian know-it-all, as it seems,
in their opinion, masterminded the trial to
bring down Sergeant Quintanilla . . . .
Trial counsel acknowledged that Mr. Bernstein “probably” was
“misguided,” but contended that it was not logical to assume
that he controlled the prosecution witnesses. He emphasized the
fact that Mr. Bernstein had not played any role in the
allegations made by the two military complainants, and that he
had not discussed any specifics with RW or RW’s father.
After a further discussion of the evidence supporting the
charges, trial counsel returned to Mr. Bernstein, describing him
as “arrogant,” “conceited,” and “a loon . . . [whose]
personality offends a lot of people.” With respect to the
stipulation, trial counsel stated that
[Bernstein] was so angered about what
happened at the hand of the military judge
that . . . he couldn’t just go home and
sleep it off. He calls the police: “I’ve
just been assaulted by a judge.” He calls
the newspaper: “I’ve just been assaulted by
a judge and he used profanity against me” .
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. . . Maybe some of you are waiting for the
military police to come in here and take the
judge off the stand. I don’t know.
The military judge interrupted trial counsel’s argument at that
point:
Yeah, leave me out of it gentleman. My
credibility is not at issue. . . . I’m not
chastising you, Captain Schwind, for your
argument. . . . I just want to make it clear
the stipulation of fact is a fact. It’s
uncontradicted. It’s there. It happens.
Stuff like that happens to all of us, but
the fact that it happened to the judge in
the case is not important. It’s certainly a
fact that you shall consider in your
deliberations, but it’s not important in
terms of how it affects me or the law or
anything else; just how it affects how you
see Mr. Bernstein and his activities.
During the balance of his argument, trial counsel
emphasized that Mr. Bernstein had no influence on the two
military victims and that he simply told RW’s father that he
should contact law enforcement authorities without suggesting
the details of any offense. With respect to JB and CS, trial
counsel did not endeavor to rebut the defense evidence of Mr.
Bernstein’s influence, but instead focused on the specific
evidence of the alleged offenses against each.
Defense counsel’s closing argument repeatedly emphasized
Mr. Bernstein’s role in the prosecution of the charges, both in
terms of his contacts with JB, CS, and RW’s father before the
allegations were presented to the military authorities, as well
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as his attempts during trial to influence witnesses in the
waiting room. Defense counsel specifically relied on the
stipulation concerning the confrontations between the military
judge and Mr. Bernstein as a means of attacking Mr. Bernstein’s
credibility:
The stipulation of fact you get: Did I know
about that before we started when I told you
[in the opening statement] he was going to
be a force in this trial? I didn’t know
that. I’m not making this stuff up. This
is offered so you know what kind of force
this guy is. He’s dominating [JB] in the
witness room. “He ain't coming out guys. I
don’t like how you’re doing this. When you
convince me, he’ll come out.” This kid
isn’t a puppet? This is a stipulation of
fact. This is uncontroverted.
Is he on a power trip? Is it because
of a power trip possibly? Does he want to
be in the paper because of this stuff? . . .
[I]t doesn’t matter what kind of authority
is around, he’s going to be abusing it.
Continuing his emphasis on the stipulation regarding the
confrontation, he said:
And, I got one other thing for you that we
all know now because of this. And, I didn’t
know this at the beginning of the trial, but
. . . now I’ve got proof. He even knows how
to push the military’s buttons. . . .
Somebody pisses him off, he calls the
commander. He goes to the MPs’s. . . .
And, what does he do when he allegedly finds
out [JB has been] assaulted? He doesn’t go
to the Killeen police . . . . He goes to CID
because he knows that‘s how you get him.
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With respect to the charges involving the three civilians,
defense counsel’s closing argument focused primarily on Mr.
Bernstein’s influence. In terms of the charges involving the
two military personnel, defense counsel primarily challenged
their testimony and the testimony of other government witnesses.
Counsel did not develop any significant relationship between Mr.
Bernstein’s activities and the military victims.
25. THE VERDICT
The members acquitted appellant of the charges involving
two of the three civilians, JB and CS, and convicted him of
forcible sodomy upon the other civilian, RW. In addition, the
members convicted him of indecent acts and indecent assault
offenses involving the two military victims.
B. POST-TRIAL PROCESSING
Appellant was sentenced on August 22, 1996, to a bad-
conduct discharge, confinement for three years, forfeiture of
$300 pay per month for 36 months, and reduction to the lowest
enlisted grade. The Staff Judge Advocate’s post-trial
recommendation to the convening authority -- the commander of
the 1st Cavalry Division -- was served on defense counsel on
February 3, 1997. Defense counsel’s post-trial submission to
the convening authority under RCM 1105 and 1106 requested
disapproval of the findings, based upon a variety of alleged
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errors. The defense also requested that the post-trial
responsibilities be transferred to an “off-post” convening
authority. The submission included the following references to
Mr. Bernstein and the military judge:
During this trial, a government witness, Mr.
Bernstein, sat in the waiting room and
coached the government witnesses on how to
testify and what to say. During the trial,
both the trial counsel and defense counsel
requested that the military judge recuse
himself for lack of impartiality. The
military judge, trial counsel, chief of the
1st Cavalry Division criminal law section, 1st
Cavalry Division SJA, 1st Cavalry Division
Commander, III Corps SJA, and the III Corps
Commander all became directly involved in
this case through their contact with Mr.
Bernstein during the trial, making them all
potential witnesses. In fact, the military
judge advised the trial counsel to have
these post trial matters handled off-post
because of the involvement/contact of the
listed officers in this matter. SSG
Quintanilla was unable to obtain a fair
hearing in this atmosphere.
The SJA, in an addendum to the convening authority, advised the
convening authority that: (1) he, the SJA, was not disqualified
because he had merely listened to Mr. Bernstein’s complaints;
(2) the convening authority was not disqualified because he had
not spoken with Mr. Bernstein; and (3) there was no evidence in
the record that Mr. Bernstein ever spoke to the III Corps
Commander, “or what may have been said.” The SJA also noted
that the military judge had assumed erroneously that Mr.
Bernstein had spoken to the convening authority. Defense
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counsel’s reply emphasized that he was not present during Mr.
Bernstein’s conversations with the command and that the details
of those conversations were not reflected in the record of
trial.
Subsequently, when a different general officer was
designated as the acting commander of the 1st Cavalry Division,
that officer assumed the duties of the convening authority in
appellant’s trial. The new convening authority decided it was
impractical for him to act on the case, citing the material
submitted by defense counsel as well as the comments of the SJA,
and forwarded the record for action by the III Corps Commander.
At III Corps, the Chief of the Criminal Law Division
prepared a memorandum for the SJA describing Mr. Bernstein’s
interaction with both commanders and judge advocates:
Mr. Bernstein thought that the government
counsel was pressuring his employee to
testify and he called you to complain. At
trial, Mr. Bernstein became upset, also
refused to testify, and contacted or
attempted to contact the 1st Cavalry Division
Staff Judge Advocate, the Division
Commander, you, and the III Corps Commander
to discuss his and his employee’s continued
presence and participation at trial.
The memorandum provided the following description of Mr.
Bernstein’s confrontation with the military judge:
During the course of the court-martial, Mr.
Bernstein and the military judge, COL Keith
Hodges, engaged in a public, verbal
altercation outside the courtroom over his
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refusal to testify. This ultimately ended
in Mr. Bernstein’s filing of assault charges
against the military judge.
The memorandum also stated that Bernstein “contacted the III
Corps Commander after conclusion of the trial to discuss the
incidents noted above.” After noting the military judge’s
recommendation that the case be transferred to an “off-post”
convening authority for post-trial action, as well as the
defense counsel’s request to the same effect, the memorandum
recommended that the case be transferred to the Commanding
General of U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia,
“to preclude any question of unfairness in the proceedings.”
The III Corps Commander adopted that recommendation and
forwarded the record to his superior, the Commander of U.S. Army
Forces. In his transmittal memorandum, the III Corps Commander
stated:
One of the key witnesses in this case
initiated several conversations with me and
my Staff Judge Advocate. The circumstances
surrounding those conversations, coupled
with the emotional environment in which this
case was tried, lead me to concur with the
military judge’s recommendation to forward
the record of trial to you. I believe that
this avoids any question of unfairness in
the proceedings and ensures that the justice
system remains inviolate.
The post-trial record does not set forth the details of the
conversations between the III Corps leadership and Mr.
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Bernstein, nor does it explain the conflict with the earlier
addendum, which had suggested that there were no such
conversations.
The post-trial recommendation subsequently prepared by the
SJA at Forces Command included a summary of the reasons the case
had been transferred from Fort Hood. The summary noted that the
military judge had recommended post-trial action by an “off-
post” convening authority, “after he had become involved in an
out-of-court confrontation with a prosecution witness.” The
recommendation summarized the findings and sentence and
recommended approval. The defense submitted a response that
primarily incorporated the matter previously submitted to the
convening authority at Fort Hood, and the SJA at Forces Command
provided a brief addendum simply noting his disagreement with
the defense submission. On July 21, 1997, eleven months after
trial, the convening authority approved the findings and
sentence.
C. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE CONFRONTATIONS
DISCLOSED DURING APPELLATE REVIEW
During review by the Court of Criminal Appeals, appellant
sought to determine whether any additional evidence concerning
the confrontations had been generated as a result of separate
investigations into the confrontations between the military
judge and Mr. Bernstein. Although the Government initially
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rebuffed these requests, the defense eventually was provided
with a number of documents in October 1998, more than two years
after trial. The documents included the following material,
which had been provided by the participants to military police
investigators during the court-martial and in the days
immediately following the trial’s conclusion on August 22, 1996:
(1) a statement by the military judge on August 28, accompanied
by a memorandum prepared by the military judge; (2) a statement
by the trial counsel on August 27 and trial counsel’s memorandum
for the record dated August 26; (3) two statements by the
bailiff on August 27; (4) statements by Mr. Bernstein and JB on
August 22, provided shortly after midnight on the day of the
confrontation. In addition, the civilian defense counsel, Mr.
Carlson, executed an affidavit concerning these matters on
November 16, 1998.
D. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CONFRONTATIONS
OUTSIDE THE RECORD OF TRIAL
1. THE MILITARY JUDGE
The statement provided to the MPs by the military judge,
and his accompanying memorandum, provide details about the
confrontations beyond those set forth in the record. According
to the military judge’s memorandum, when the Government called
JB as a witness, the bailiff returned after “about 5 minutes”
and said “something to the effect that the witness wasn’t
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coming.” The military judge sent trial counsel to assist the
bailiff, apparently to no avail. The memorandum does not
reflect whether the military judge had any conversations with
the bailiff or counsel as to the nature of the problem.
At some point, the military judge became concerned about
the impact of the delay on his responsibility for the efficient
conduct of the trial, and decided it was necessary for “the
witness to come as called or else have someone make a decision
what would be done next.” His memorandum notes: “I recessed
the court, took off my robe, and went to inquire why it was
taking so long to get the witness into the court room.” He
added: “Knowing that I was about to potentially have contact
with a witness, I took a counsel from both sides with me: CPT
Schwind [the trial counsel] and Mr. Carlson [the defense
counsel].” In his statement to the CID, he stated that Schwind
and Carlson “came with me to the room and were either inside or
in the doorway. I had my back to CPT Schwind and Mr. Carlson.”
As noted in section III.D.3., infra, Mr. Carlson’s post-trial
filing disputes this account and asserts that he was not present
for any of the events involving the military judge and Mr.
Bernstein.
The military judge’s memorandum states that he located Mr.
Bernstein and JB and identified himself as the military judge.
He viewed the situation as “tense but not violent or building in
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that direction at all.” Mr. Bernstein first complained that he
had not been treated properly by CPT Henry, the Chief of
Military Justice for the 1st Cavalry Division, and then told the
military judge that he objected to having JB called as a
witness. The memorandum states that the military judge
“politely” informed Mr. Bernstein that the decision whether to
testify belonged to JB, that Mr. Bernstein replied by telling
the military judge that JB was not under subpoena, and that Mr.
Bernstein became “rather emotional.” The memorandum indicates
that the military judge was not aware that the trial counsel had
not issued a subpoena to JB.
In the memorandum, the military judge notes: “I believed we
would have a more productive discussion if the level of emotion
was toned down a bit.” In furtherance of that goal, “I felt
comfortable enough with him to simply place both of my hands,
palms open and toward him, on the upper fourth of his chest and
my fingers on his shoulders and simply pat him twice and say to
the effect, ‘Mr. Bernstein, calm down. Let’s go to court.’” In
his statement to the MPs, the military judge stated that he did
not use any profanity during the initial confrontation.
The memorandum states the military judge informed JB that
he could either “testify now or testify at some other time later
-- possibly much later -- after a subpoena was served.” JB
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replied he wanted to testify now, and the military judge
returned to the courtroom.
The memorandum indicates that a second confrontation
occurred when JB did not appear and the military judge became
“impatient.” The military judge decided not to direct the trial
counsel to locate the witness “because it is hard to get lawyers
back in once they leave.” Instead, the military judge “simply
left the bench and again went to inquire as to the delay.” In
contrast to his description of the first confrontation -- which
states that he brought counsel for both parties with him because
he was going to be dealing with a witness -- the military
judge’s memorandum notes that during the second confrontation he
was accompanied only by the bailiff, SPC Cooks. The memorandum
contains the following description of the second confrontation:
As I walked in, Mr. Bernstein immediately
told me he was talking to LTG Schwartz. His
tone and demeanor was again “high,” that is,
he was worked up on what I saw as a simple
matter and one we had earlier resolved. He
had his hand over the mouth piece. I told
him that it didn’t matter to me for it was
my job not to do the commander’s bidding, I
could not do what LTG Schwartz said, and my
chain of command was my senior judge or
words to that effect. It then became
apparent he was on hold. Mr. Bernstein
apparently tired of holding and hung up the
phone. As Mr. Bernstein began to tell me
about all his contacts in Killeen and on Ft
Hood, I told Mr. Bernstein, “I don’t f***ing
care what others tell me to do.” I was
supposed to follow what I believed was
right. . . .
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. . . My inappropriate and unnecessary use
of the profanity remarkably changed the
nature of my contact with Mr. Bernstein. He
paused, smiled, and said to [JB], “I like
this guy. He uses the F-word.” (He might
have said the whole word, I am unsure.) The
conversation returned to cordial, and Mr.
Bernstein then wished to persuade me to do
something to avoid [JB’s] being called. I
finally explained to Mr. Bernstein that
since he was not in a parental-like
relationship with [JB] and he was preventing
the government from calling a witness, he
could be held in contempt if he interfered
with the trial. We agreed that [JB] could
make his own decision. Mr. Bernstein then
wished to close the door (leaving SPC Cooks
outside) to ask something of me. I stayed
in the doorway so not to exclude SPC Cooks.
Mr. Bernstein, in a friendly and inoffensive
manner, held on to me and said to the
effect, “Please, please don’t let them give
[JB] a hard time,” and something about not
revealing [JB’s] home address. I simply
replied something to the effect of, “We’ll
just follow the rules.”
In the memorandum, the military judge noted that he could
not be sure whether his physical contact with Mr. Bernstein
occurred during the first or second confrontation, stating “[i]t
simply was not significant enough even to be memorable in terms
of which visit it occurred.”
In his statement during the MP investigation, the military
judge added that he had called for MPs to be present after
either the first or second confrontation:
As I left CPT Schwind’s office the first or
second time (I believe the second) I told
CPT Henry (I believe) to have MPs present.
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I did that to prevent any possible problems
because Mr[.] Bernstein kept saying that
[JB] and the others were afraid of the
accused and I had concern about contact
between the accused, JB, and Bernstein.
In his memorandum, the military judge offered the following
summary regarding his responsibility:
a. I deny that I committed an assault for I
know he [Mr. Bernstein] was not offended by
my touching him. That is clear to me from
my interaction with him and he with me. My
touching was, under the circumstances as I
saw and know them to be, appropriate to our
“relationship” and in an effort to calm the
situation.
b. That Mr. Bernstein might not have been
offended by my profane word, it does not
excuse my having used it especially under
the circumstances. It was not an insult to
him or anyone else, just very bad taste.
c. I did unnecessarily place myself in a
position where an assault allegation,
however groundless, could be made.
d. Notwithstanding my style to take an
active responsibility to keep a trial
moving, I should not have directly involved
myself in a matter that was occurring
outside the courtroom but rather have left
it to the parties. I admit the better
course would be simply to have taken a less
active, passive approach. My motive was to
keep the trial moving; I should have used a
different method.
e. I assumed the risk by touching Mr.
Bernstein however well intentioned. I have
touched hundreds in the same positive,
friendly, and encouraging way. It takes
such an event to fully appreciate the risk
at hand. I understand.
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2. THE TRIAL COUNSEL
Trial counsel’s description of the two incidents provides
significant details not set forth in the record or in the
military judge’s post-trial statement and memorandum. In
particular, trial counsel describes the military judge as being
much more emotional and confrontational in his dealings with Mr.
Bernstein.
Trial counsel’s memorandum for the record notes that he met
with Bernstein on August 19, the day before trial on the merits:
We have a long discussion re whether he or
[JB] must appear in court. I say no,
because my policy is not to subpoena my own
witnesses. Bernstein seems cooperative,
saying he will appear with or without [JB]
and he will try to get [JB] to come to court
with him.
Referring to a telephone conversation that evening,
the memorandum states:
I again assure him there is no subpoena for
his or [JB’s] appearance. He makes me
guarantee that I will protect [JB], then
promises he will have [JB] there.
Trial counsel had similar conversations with Mr. Bernstein and
JB on the morning of the expected testimony, in the presence of
the Staff Judge Advocate for III Corps.
Trial counsel’s memorandum sets forth the following
sequence of events with respect to JB’s testimony. The bailiff,
after leaving to notify JB that it was time for him to testify,
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returned “1 minute later . . . saying that [JB] will not take
the stand.” Trial counsel asked CPT Henry to talk to Mr.
Bernstein and JB. A minute later, the military judge sent the
trial counsel on the same mission. Trial counsel went to his
office, where he found Mr. Bernstein, JB, CPT Henry, and CS’s
father. Mr. Bernstein was “irate,” complaining that CPT Henry
had treated him with disrespect. Concerned that Mr. Bernstein
was “trying to provoke CPT Henry,” trial counsel asked CPT Henry
to leave. At that point, Mr. Bernstein also threatened to
leave.
Trial counsel returned to the courtroom to inform the
military judge that he was “working on getting the witness to
come into court.” When the military judge directed a recess,
trial counsel responded by saying “no, because when I get [JB]
into the courtroom, I want him to testify immediately.” The
military judge nonetheless ordered the recess, and trial counsel
went to his office.
Mr. Bernstein, JB, and trial counsel were in trial
counsel’s office when the military judge entered “in his Class B
uniform.” In his statement to the MPs, trial counsel noted that
the civilian defense counsel, Mr. Carlson, “might have been just
outside my door.”
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The military judge, who apparently did not identify
himself to the civilians in the room, asked if JB was going to
testify. According to trial counsel’s statement to the MPs,
Bernstein responded with his belief that no
one can force [JB] to testify, and the two
of them could just leave if they wanted to.
COL Hodges keeps asking Bernstein to be
quiet and let him speak. Bernstein kept
talking over COL Hodges.
Whereas the military judge’s memorandum indicated that the
military judge had immediately informed Mr. Bernstein of his
judicial position, trial counsel’s memorandum indicates that
the military judge -- who was not in his judicial robes -- had
not made his status known to Bernstein and JB during his initial
communications with Mr. Bernstein and JB. Trial counsel’s
statement notes that
Bernstein finally asked who COL Hodges was.
COL Hodges told him he was the judge.
Bernstein quickly sat down and COL Hodges
told them that there would be no other
opportunity for them to testify, because the
trial was the only shot for the government
and the defense.
Mr. Bernstein did not find this response satisfactory, which led
to “an exchange of words, in a heated state on the behalf of
both COL Hodges and Bernstein.”
During this confrontation, “Bernstein shot up off the couch
and demanded to know if he had to testify.” The military judge
“patted Bernstein on the shoulder and told him to calm down.”
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On the issue of whether JB was required to testify, trial
counsel’s statement indicates that the military judge stated JB
would have to testify regardless of whether there was a
subpoena:
COL Hodges said yes, [JB] had to testify.
Bernstein then became irate again, and asked
why since he had no su[b]poena. COL Hodges
stated that it was his courtroom, and [JB]
would testify.
The situation then became even more intense:
Bernstein stated that neither he [n]or [JB]
had to testify, and that he had spoken with
LTG Schwartz. At this point COL Hodges’
face turned beet red and I could see he was
very upset.
The military judge “told Bernstein he didn’t care about the
General,” and the incident moved towards its conclusion:
After a few more words from COL Hodges, COL
Hodges pointed his finger at Bernstein’s
face and stated he (Bernstein) would be in
the courtroom in one minute. COL Hodges
then looked at me on his way out and told me
to call the military police.
In response to follow-up questioning during the MP
investigation, trial counsel provided additional details:
Q. [D]id COL Hodges come into your office
and state the following to [JB], “If you
don’t get your f***ing a** in the court room
in one minute, I’ll find you in contempt of
court and call the MPs?”
A. No, not to [JB].
* * *
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Q. [D]id COL Hodges make a similar comment
to Bernstein?
A. Yes.
Q. What was it that COL Hodges stated to
Bernstein, while in your office, that was
with regard to being in contempt of court?
A. It was something to the effect of, “I’m
about to hold you in contempt of court, you
(Bernstein) be in my court in one minute....
3. THE DEFENSE COUNSEL
In his appellate affidavit, Mr. Carlson stated that he
“remained in the courtroom” during trial breaks, that he was
never in trial counsel’s office during trial, and that he was
not present in trial counsel’s office “for any of the events
that transpired between Col Hodges and Mr. Bernstein.”
4. THE BAILIFF
The statements provided by the bailiff, on the other hand,
describe a much more benign situation. After noting the
interchange between the military judge and Mr. Bernstein
concerning LTG Schwartz, the bailiff’s statement notes:
Judge Hodges began to talk to [JB]. At this
point, Bill Bernstein walked around CPT
Schwind’s desk where Judge Hodges, [JB], and
myself were standing. Judge Hodges put his
hand on Bill Bernstein’s shoulder and said,
“Let me show you what 30 years[’] experience
can do.”
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The statement notes that the military judge asked JB “if he
wanted this situation over with this week or a couple of
months.” JB said he wanted it to be over “this week,” and the
military judge told him it would be resolved “this week.”
According to the bailiff, Mr. Bernstein expressed concern
that JB “was timid and the defense would get to him.” The
military judge asked JB to consider whether, if his parents were
on trial, he would want the defense to do the best job possible.
JB agreed, and “stated that he would testify.” The military
judge said that “he only wanted everyone to have a fair chance.”
At that point, they returned to the court room and JB testified.
The bailiff stated that the incident was observed by “Col.
Hodges, Bill Bernstein, [JB], and myself.” He added that the
door was closed. In response to the investigator’s questions,
he said that the military judge did not “use any profanity, . .
. make any provoking gestures, address either Bernstein or [JB]
in a hostile unprofessional manner, . . .[or] make reference to
either Bernstein or [JB] with regard to being in contempt of
court.”
5. MR. BERNSTEIN AND JB
Mr. Bernstein and JB were in court on August 20. Later
that evening, they met with the military police and provided
statements that were signed shortly after midnight. Their
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statements are somewhat closer to the description of events
provided by the trial counsel than the descriptions provided by
the military judge or the bailiff.
JB’s statement notes that the military judge came into the
trial counsel’s office and
told me that I had one f***ing minute to
come into the court room to testify . . .
and he told Bill Bernstein to watch your a**
before he called the M.P.’s on you and the
judge hit him on the chest about three or
four times.
In response to questions during the MP investigation, JB
indicated that he had not been under a subpoena, that he was
forced to testify against his will, and that the military judge
made him testify.
Mr. Bernstein provided the following description of the
events leading up to his confrontation with the military judge:
The judge came out of his chambers and told
[JB], “If you don’t get your f***ing a** in
the court room in one minute I’ll find you
in contempt of court and call the M.P.’s.”
Then he turned around and looked at me and
asked me if I was [JB’s] father or mother.
At that time I told him no. Col. Kenneth
(sic) Hodges looked at me and asked me who
the f*** I was. I told him that I was Mr.
Bernstein one of the character witnesses.
Col. Hodges looked at me and said, “Stay the
f*** out of me and [JB’s] business.” Then
he smacked the left side of my chest four or
five times with an open hand. At this time
I was in so much shock that I didn’t know
what to do. The judge walked back into his
chamber and [JB] was threatened to get
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inside of the court room. Then [JB]
proceeded to go into the court room.
E. DESCRIPTION OF AN EX PARTE COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE MILITARY JUDGE AND TRIAL COUNSEL
As described in Section III.A.5., supra, JB testified on
the merits. Following his testimony, there was an Article 39(a)
session to consider an evidentiary matter. Two minutes after
the Article 39(a) session began, the military judge abruptly
announced, “We’re in recess.” Trial counsel’s post-trial
memorandum sets forth the following account of events that
occurred prior to and during the 39-minute recess -- events that
are not reflected in the record.
While JB was testifying, trial counsel received a
communication from another attorney that engendered concern
about whether Mr. Bernstein would remain and testify at trial.
At that point, trial counsel signed a subpoena and directed that
it be given to Mr. Bernstein.
During a break in JB’s testimony, trial counsel returned to
his office with JB, where Mr. Bernstein was waiting. In his
post-trial memorandum, trial counsel provided a description of
the ensuing scene:
Bernstein is screaming that I “f***ed him”
by giving him a subpoena. . . . He is
spraying the words as he’s saying them. I
explain that I had no choice because he kept
asking if he had a subpoena. He is yelling
that he is now a prisoner on Fort Hood and
being held against his will.
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The discussion then addressed the merits of the allegations
against appellant:
Bernstein states that he will now testify
for the Defense, and tell the court that
everything was made up.
As Mr. Bernstein became even more agitated,
[h]e says a few more times that I and
everyone here have “f***ed him.” He throws
his phone at the ground and I hear a few
pieces of plastic hit the wall. He stomps
two or three times on the phone, breaking
off the mouthpiece.
The confrontation apparently was so noisy that it drew the
attention of another attorney. Trial counsel assured the other
attorney that everything was “OK”. Mr. Bernstein then “calms
down, . . . picks up his phone and starts playing with the
shattered lower end, [and] tells me that he has just damaged a
several-hundred-dollar-phone.”
Trial counsel returned to the courtroom for the completion
of JB’s testimony. During the break that followed, the military
judge informed trial counsel that Mr. Bernstein had filed an
ethical complaint against the military judge. This revelation
led to an ex parte discussion between the military judge and
trial counsel about the impact of this development on the
proceedings:
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On my way back in COL H tells me that
Bernstein had called COL Clervi14 and made an
ethical complaint against him, and that we
will address the allegation with Bernstein
on the record prior to calling Bernstein as
a witness.
Trial counsel made it clear that he did not agree with the
military judge’s approach because of the adverse affect that it
might have on the prosecution’s case:
I stop COL H at the rear door to the court
and ask if we can have Bernstein testify
first, then address the ethics issue,
because I am worried that Bernstein may blow
up on the stand when called on the ethics
issue. COL H agrees.
This ex parte conversation was not mentioned by the military
judge in his post-trial statement or memorandum, nor was it
disclosed on the record at that time or in any of the subsequent
sessions concerning this matter.
F. THE MILITARY JUDGE’S DECISION TO LIMIT DISCLOSURE AT TRIAL
Following the trial, the military judge provided the
following explanation of his purpose in calling the Article
39(a) session at which Mr. Bernstein testified about the
confrontations:
The focus of that session was not to defend
or exonerate me, but to develop whatever
facts were necessary to allow the parties to
do what they needed to do.
14
The Chief Circuit Judge, who was the supervisor of the military judge
within the trial judiciary.
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The military judge’s memorandum also described an out-of-
court conversation that he had with Mr. Bernstein’s attorney
during the recess called to permit the attorney to meet with Mr.
Bernstein:
After I questioned Mr. Bernstein and before
counsel did, Mr. Hewitt -- a Killeen
attorney -- asked to consult with “his
client,” Mr. Bernstein. Though I had seen
Mr. Hewitt in the court room and was later
told Mr. Hewitt said something about his
being there for Mr. Bernstein, I didn’t know
Mr. Hewitt’s role until he asked for the
recess. Mr. Hewitt asked if I was going to
hold Mr. Bernstein in contempt. I told him
I would not -- could not -- because as it
turned out, Mr. Bernstein had not interfered
with the proceedings.
The military judge also described his impressions of Mr.
Bernstein’s testimony at the Article 39(a) session:
Mr. Bernstein apologized to me. It was my
impression that Mr. Bernstein, having spoken
to his lawyer and having taken a different
view during the second [Article 39(a)
session] on the matter, that the matter was
closed.
Contrary to the military judge’s impression of the matter,
Bernstein was not mollified, and later that evening he provided
the military police with a sworn statement alleging that he had
been assaulted by the military judge. In that statement, he
provided the following explanation for his cooperative attitude
during the proceedings held earlier in the day:
At that time my lawyer gave me a wink and
motioned with his mouth, “be humble.” At
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that time I was so scared to death about
being put into contempt of court I went
ahead and apologized to the court for the
actions outside of . . . COL Hodges'
chambers . . . . COL Hodges said I do not
need a[n] apology from you but I will look
over the incident.
Although the military judge was satisfied with Mr.
Bernstein’s testimony at trial about the confrontations, his
memorandum indicates that he later recognized that the record of
trial did not provide a complete description of what had
happened:
I am confident that any inquiry will be a
thorough one but each day passes with my
learning much more occurred before and since
my involvement with Mr. Bernstein concerning
this very situation.
The memorandum, however, does not indicate what facts the
military judge had learned since trial. Elsewhere in the
memorandum, the military judge recognized that the Article 39(a)
session concerning the confrontation could have provided a
comprehensive disclosure of the facts:
While I could have turned the session into
discovery of what happened between Mr.
Bernstein and me, I saw that as unnecessary.
The parties had the facts they wanted and I
did not wish to insert the other matter
unnecessarily into the trial.
He added:
Had I known that the matter wasn’t closed
and Mr. Bernstein somehow really believed he
had been assaulted, I would have arranged
for some way to document those facts.
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Documenting those facts was not then
important to me; the trial was.
As discussed in Part III.A.16., supra, however, it soon became
apparent during trial that the matter was not closed when the
military judge learned the next morning that Mr. Bernstein filed
an assault complaint with the MPs and made a statement to the
press. None of the events, however, led the military judge to
ensure that the record of trial would “document those facts”
about his confrontations with Mr. Bernstein.
IV. DISCUSSION
Appellant asks this Court to find that the military judge
should have disqualified himself, on the military judge’s own
motion, for creating an appearance of bias under RCM 902(a), or
for actual bias under 902(b). Appellant contends that the
judge’s conduct in regard to Mr. Bernstein created an appearance
of bias. He argues that the judge’s actions in bringing a
reluctant witness to the stand and subsequently “us[ing] the
court-martial proceedings to minimize and rationalize his
conduct” demonstrate actual bias. Finally, appellant claims
that the judge’s knowledge of the underlying facts about the
confrontation made him a witness when the issue came into
evidence via the stipulation of fact.
105
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In response, the Government contends that appellant waived
the appearance of bias issue under RCM 902(a), noting that on at
least four occasions, defense counsel either expressly stated
that he had no challenge to make against the judge or turned
down the opportunity to question the judge. With respect to
actual bias under 902(b), the Government takes the position that
there is no evidence of bias against appellant in the record and
no evidence that the judge gained knowledge about the
proceedings from an extra-judicial source. The Government
further argues that the agreement of the parties to enter into a
stipulation of fact regarding the out-of-court events vitiated
the possibility that the judge would become a witness.
We review a judge’s decision on disqualification for an
abuse of discretion. United States v. Norfleet, 53 M.J. 262, 270
(2000).
A. WAIVER UNDER RCM 902(e)
RCM 902(a) provides that “a military judge shall disqualify
himself or herself in any proceeding in which that military
judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” This is
the only basis for disqualification that may be waived by a
party, provided that the waiver is “preceded by a full
disclosure on the record of the basis for disqualification.”
RCM 902(e).
106
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In this case, the post-trial filings indicate that the
military judge did not fully disclose the events that could
reasonably raise a question about his impartiality. Foremost,
as noted in Section III.E., supra, the military judge never
disclosed the ex parte conversation described in trial counsel’s
affidavit, which states that the military judge acceded to trial
counsel’s request to allow Mr. Bernstein to testify on the
merits before taking up the issue of the out-of-court
confrontations and Mr. Bernstein’s complaint about the judge.
Although the judge’s initial reaction was to disclose his
confrontations with Mr. Bernstein on the record immediately
after learning of the complaint, the trial counsel’s memorandum
states that the military judge agreed when trial counsel
expressed fear that such an approach could detonate Mr.
Bernstein’s volatile personality and spoil the prosecution’s
case.
This matter was not revealed to defense counsel at trial
and only came to light when appellant obtained trial counsel’s
memorandum two years later. Although the decision on how to
proceed with Mr. Bernstein ultimately rested with the military
judge, defense counsel was entitled to be informed of
developments involving an adverse witness and to engage in a
discussion about the timing of Mr. Bernstein’s testimony on the
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merits versus the confrontations, given that the order of such
testimony was clearly a strategic point for the prosecution.
There are other lapses in the record that make it
impossible to find full disclosure for purposes of RCM 902(a).
The military judge failed to fulfill his fundamental
responsibility to ensure that the record of trial set forth a
complete account of the out-of-court events bearing upon his
actions and the issue of judicial impartiality. In his
memorandum, the military judge acknowledges that he did not
provide a complete description of his confrontations with Mr.
Bernstein because he hoped that those events would not become an
issue at trial. See Section III.F., supra. To the extent that
elements of the out-of-court events were placed on the record,
it is difficult to determine precisely what happened during the
confrontations between the military judge and Mr. Bernstein.
This is primarily the result of the military judge’s failure to
provide a coherent description of the events on the record,
preferring instead to place Mr. Bernstein on the stand in an
Article 39(a) session and question him about the episodes in a
manner that minimized the disclosure of information about the
events. When the military judge learned that Mr. Bernstein had
filed a complaint about their out-of-court confrontations, it
was the judge’s responsibility to provide a complete and
coherent description of the events on the record.
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If the military judge had made a timely and full disclosure
and allowed the parties to decide whether to waive the
disqualification in accordance with the procedure in Canon 3D of
the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, or a legally
sufficient alternative procedure, the record have could fully
documented any waiver.
Because the military judge did not ensure that the record
reflected a full disclosure as required by RCM 902(e) -- a
condition that must precede waiver of disqualification for the
appearance of bias -- it would be inappropriate to conclude on
the present state of the record that the defense counsel waived
the issue of disqualification in this case.15 See generally
Potashnick v. Port City Construction Co., 609 F.2d 1101, 1115
(5th Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 820 (1980)(the parties’
request for the judge to preside over the trial did not
constitute waiver and preclude appellate review of
disqualification under 28 USC § 455(a) because the judge’s
disclosure of a potential source of bias did not reveal all
bases for challenge); Barksdale v. Emerick, 853 F.2d 1359, 1361-
15
By the end of the trial, defense counsel comprehended sufficient details
about Mr. Bernstein’s conflicts with the judge to use the events as part of
his effort to discredit the witness by putting the matter before the members
in a stipulation of fact. As the Eleventh Circuit has noted, “a recusal
issue may not be abused as an element of trial strategy” in which a party
refuses to raise the issue until after an adverse ruling on the merits.
Kelly, 888 F.2d at 746. In the present case, however, the incomplete and
confusing record, particularly regarding the ex parte conversation between
the military judge and trial counsel, precludes us from concluding that
defense counsel’s advancement of the stipulation constituted waiver.
109
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
62 (6th Cir. 1988)(refusing to find waiver when full disclosure
of potential basis for disqualification was not on record).
B. APPEARANCE OF BIAS UNDER RCM 902(a)
“Any conduct that would lead a reasonable man knowing all
the circumstances to the conclusion that the judge’s
‘impartiality might reasonably be questioned’ is a basis for the
judge’s disqualification.” United States v. Kincheloe, 14 M.J.
40, 50 (CMA 1982) (quoting E. Thode, Reporter's Notes to Code Of
Judicial Conduct 60 (1973)); Wright, 52 M.J. at 141. In this case,
the military judge committed several acts that would reasonably
put his impartiality into doubt. “When a military judge’s
impartiality is challenged on appeal, the test is whether, taken
as a whole in the context of this trial, a court-martial’s
legality, fairness, and impartiality were put into doubt” by the
military judge’s actions. United States v. Burton, 52 M.J. 223,
226 (2000) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). On
appeal, “[t]he test is objective, judged from the standpoint of
a reasonable person observing the proceedings.” Id.
1. IMPACT ON THE PRODUCTION OF A WITNESS (JB)
The military judge erred by interjecting himself into the
problem of JB’s failure to appear without first ascertaining the
facts. He took the unusual step of leaving the bench during a
trial and engaged in out-of-court, off-the-record actions:
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
(1) without first determining whether the trial counsel was
unable to fulfill his responsibilities under RCM 703(c)(1) to
produce the witness, and (2) without the involvement of both
parties to the court-martial. By not inquiring, the military
judge erroneously assumed that the witness had been issued a
subpoena. That mistaken belief not only led to the
confrontation with Mr. Bernstein, but also appears to have
contributed greatly to the animosity exhibited during the
episode.
Although it is appropriate for a military judge to play an
active role in promoting the efficiency of a trial, the judge in
this case did not even ask trial counsel for an explanation of
what had transpired or whether help was needed. Indeed, the
judge’s action appears to have been contrary to trial counsel’s
wishes at the time. See Section III.A.4., supra. The military
judge acknowledged in his post-trial memorandum that he erred by
involving himself in the question of JB’s availability when that
matter was the responsibility of the trial counsel. See Section
III.D.1., supra.
2. FAILURE TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS FULL DISCLOSURE AND A
COHERENT RECORD OF THE OUT-OF-COURT CONFRONTATIONS
As discussed in the previous section on waiver, the
military judge failed to put forth a clear, coherent, and
complete record of his out-of-court actions and acknowledged
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
that he did not do so because he did not think that the
confrontations with the witness would become an issue at trial:
“I saw that [full disclosure of confrontations] then as
unnecessary. . . . Had I known that the matter wasn’t closed . .
. I would have arranged for some way to document those facts.”
The fact that the judge failed to perform his duty to fully
disclose the events on the record after the events clearly
became an issue at trial could cause a reasonable person to
question the judge’s impartiality in the proceedings.
Contrary to the judge’s hopes, his confrontation with Mr.
Bernstein became a central issue at trial, and his failure to
personally describe what occurred out-of-court makes it
difficult to determine exactly what happened. The ambiguity
flows from many sources.
First, the record contains numerous discussions between the
military judge and various spectators in the courtroom, none of
whom were sworn as witnesses. Often, these discussions contain
cryptic and incomplete references to persons whose duties and
relationship to the proceedings are not defined, as well as
references to events not described in the record. The military
judge failed to ensure that the reader of the record would have
an understanding of the significance and context of these
discussions.
112
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Second, the military judge’s interaction with witnesses and
counsel was marked by numerous interruptions, incomplete
sentences, and references to persons and events whose
significance was not explained.
Third, the record reflects at least one off-the-record
session under RCM 802 touching on these issues, the substance of
which was not adequately summarized in the record.
Fourth, the record also includes vague references to a
variety of out-of-court developments with incomplete information
as to context and little or no indication as to the source of
the information, or whether the information came from, or was
shared with, counsel.
Fifth, the record regarding trial counsel’s motion to
recuse the military judge and trial counsel’s announcement of
the prosecution’s intent to submit an interlocutory appeal of
the military judge’s denial of that motion is unclear. The
record describes the military judge’s views about whether the
denial could be appealed, as well as the military judge’s
various conversations with a spectator (CPT Henry), rather than
trial counsel, about the appeal. Much of the conversation is
difficult to follow and the record contains no indication of how
the matter was resolved, but simply leaves an inference that the
Government decided not to submit an interlocutory appeal. Cf.
Art. 62, UCMJ, 10 USC § 862 (appeal by the United States).
113
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Finally, assuming the accuracy of trial counsel’s
memorandum, the military judge failed to disclose an ex parte
conversation with trial counsel about the timing of Mr.
Bernstein’s testimony on the merits.16 This discussion cannot be
minimized or dismissed as merely an administrative decision.
The judge’s confrontations with Mr. Bernstein, and Mr.
Bernstein’s credibility, became central issues at trial. The
judge himself repeatedly emphasized Mr. Bernstein’s role in the
defense case and described him as the prosecution’s “achilles
heel.” Later in the trial, when the defense proposed a
stipulation of fact regarding the out-of-court confrontations,
the military judge expressly ruled that those events were
relevant on the merits.
Ex parte contact with counsel does not necessitate recusal
under RCM 902(a), particularly if the record shows that the
communication did not involve substantive issues or evidence
favoritism for one side. Alis, 47 M.J. at 817; In re Federal
Skywalk Cases, 680 F.2d 1175 (8th Cir. 1982). However, an ex
parte communication “which might have the effect or give the
appearance of granting undue advantage to one party” cannot be
16
Another disclosure problem is set forth in trial counsel’s memorandum,
where he describes Mr. Bernstein’s explosion of temper in his office and Mr.
Bernstein’s announcement that he would testify for the defense that
everything “was made-up.” This incident was never disclosed to the defense
during trial, and it directly preceded trial counsel’s ex parte conversation
with the judge. The statement forms the basis for appellant’s claim in Issue
V that the Government failed to disclose material, exculpatory evidence. We
address this matter in our remand in Section IV.C., infra.
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condoned. United States v. Wilkerson, 1 M.J. 56, 57 n.1 (CMA
1975).
The failure to provide for complete disclosure created two
major problems. First, the absence of such disclosure deprived
the parties of an adequate foundation for their decisions on
whether or not to request recusal. Second, a complete
disclosure could have made it more likely that the military
judge would have clearly identified and considered those facts
crucial to determining whether there was a conflict or
appearance of conflict requiring disqualification.
3. IMPACT ON THE CONTENT OF THE STIPULATION
The entanglement of the military judge’s actions with
substantive issues at trial deepened with the stipulation of
fact advanced by the defense. Near the end of trial, defense
counsel moved to put the details of the military judge’s
confrontations with Mr. Bernstein before the members via a
stipulation of fact. The stipulation described events fully
known to only two or three persons (the military judge, Mr.
Bernstein, and JB) and partially known by others (trial counsel
and the bailiff). The purpose of the stipulation was to
contrast Mr. Bernstein’s conciliatory, in-court testimony about
the events with his subsequent complaints, placing a comparison
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
of the judge’s credibility with Mr. Bernstein’s credibility
directly before the members.
The prosecution would not agree to the stipulation, arguing
that the out-of-court events were not relevant to the merits.
Trial counsel immediately recognized that the stipulation would
impermissibly put the military judge in the position of being a
witness in the proceedings -- since he was one of the few people
with direct and complete knowledge about the events --
regardless of whether the stipulation was titled as one of
“fact” rather than “testimony.”
The military judge urged the trial counsel to accept the
stipulation, noting that his only alternative was to bring Mr.
Bernstein to the stand to testify about the events. As for
being a witness, the judge erroneously told trial counsel that
if he (the judge) stepped down, the Government would face a
mistrial and possible operation of double jeopardy. However, if
the judge had disqualified himself at this point because he was
becoming involved as a witness, another military judge could
have been assigned and the proceedings could have continued.
The stipulation was admitted into evidence after the judge
further involved himself by editing it and suggesting changes to
the parties.
The military judge’s continued participation in the case,
after the development of a stipulation that relied extensively
116
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
on the judge’s personal knowledge of out-of-court events and
that placed the judge’s stature and credibility in contest with
the credibility of a witness, clearly raised questions about his
impartiality under RCM 902(a).
4. CONCLUSION
As outlined above, several actions by the military judge
created an appearance of bias under RCM 902(a). In light of the
military judge’s failure to provide full disclosure on the
record, the moment at which he first should have disqualified
himself cannot be precisely identified, but it became necessary
when defense counsel announced that he was going to make the
confrontations between the judge and Mr. Bernstein an issue on
the merits with respect to Mr. Bernstein’s credibility. At the
very least, the judge should have disqualified himself when the
stipulation was presented and the judge found himself in the
midst of negotiations that would: (1) determine how complete a
description of the confrontations should be made, under
circumstances where he had personal knowledge of events not
known to either party; and (2) adversely reflect on his own
professional conduct.
Had the military judge made a full disclosure at the
outset, the facts therein might have led him to announce a
disqualification, at which point, under applicable law, the
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parties could have proceeded with a new judge, or they could
have expressly waived the disqualification as provided by RCM
902(e).
C. REMEDY
A conclusion that a judge should have disqualified himself
or herself does not end appellate review. Neither RCM 902(a)
nor applicable federal, civilian standards mandate a particular
remedy for situations in which an appellate court determines
that a judge should have removed himself or herself from a case.
See, e.g., Liljeberg, 486 U.S. at 862 (“There need not be a
draconian remedy for every violation of § 455(a).”). In
Liljeberg, the Court established a three-part test for
determining whether reversal of a decision should be granted as
a remedy when a judge has failed to recognize that his or her
disqualification was required because the judge’s impartiality
might reasonably be questioned:
We conclude that . . . it is appropriate to
consider the risk of injustice to the
parties in the particular case, the risk
that the denial of relief will produce
injustice in other cases, and the risk of
undermining the public’s confidence in the
judicial process. We must continuously bear
in mind that to perform its high function in
the best way justice must satisfy the
appearance of justice.
Id. at 864 (internal citations and quotations omitted).
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The military judge’s incomplete disclosures and ex parte
conversation appear to have prejudiced appellant. However, we
cannot apply the Liljeberg test with any certainty in this case
because the state of the record makes it impossible to
determine: (1) what actually happened between the military
judge and Mr. Bernstein; (2) precisely what defense counsel knew
about the confrontations while the trial was ongoing; and (3)
what impact these events had on the entire trial. Likewise,
although trial counsel described the ex parte conversation and
Mr. Bernstein’s threat to testify for the defense, the impact of
these occurrences is also unclear.
The post-trial filings and affidavits considered by the
court below do not clarify these issues because they also
contain gaps and inconsistencies. For example, there are great
disparities between trial counsel’s negative description of the
military judge’s actions during the out-of-court events
(aggressive, confrontational, profane, and unaware that JB had
not been subpoenaed), the descriptions placed on the record
during the Article 39(a) session, and the descriptions in the
judge’s post-trial statement and memorandum.
There are also disparities in the record as to whether
defense counsel observed any of the out-of-court interactions
between the military judge and Mr. Bernstein. The documents
prepared by the various attorneys in the course of the post-
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trial reviews reflect inconsistent descriptions of what
transpired at trial as well.
In light of these difficulties with the record, we remand
this case for further proceedings in accordance with this
opinion and United States v. DuBay, 17 USCMA 147, 37 CMR 411
(1967). There, the record can be fully developed as to: (1)
what actually happened in the confrontations between the
military judge and Mr. Bernstein; (2) what transpired in the ex
parte conversation; (3) the nature and significance of Mr.
Bernstein’s alleged threat to testify for the defense; (4) what
details defense counsel knew at trial about these occurrences;
and (5) whether these occurrences affected the trial and charges
involving RW.
We note that our remand does not include the charges
involving the military victims. Mr. Bernstein had no
relationship with the military victims, he did not influence
them to report the incidents, and he did not testify on the
merits with respect to those charges. Likewise, the defense did
not clearly link the confrontations between the military judge
and Mr. Bernstein to the validity of the charges concerning the
military victims.
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PART B. LEGAL SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE,
INSTRUCTIONS, AND EXPERT TESTIMONY
I. LEGAL SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE CHARGE OF
FORCIBLE SODOMY (ADDITIONAL CHARGE I)
A. BACKGROUND
Appellant was convicted of committing forcible sodomy upon
RW, a civilian teenager under the age of 16 at the time of the
alleged crime, and challenges the legal sufficiency of the
evidence for this conviction on appeal (Granted Issue III). The
testimony of the victim provided the only evidence of the
alleged sexual contact. RW testified to the following
chronology of events on the night in question: RW went to the
movies with appellant, after which he returned to appellant’s
house and fell asleep. In the morning, while RW was in the
process of awakening, appellant began massaging his back, and
then his stomach. Appellant then unzipped RW’s pants and began
to fondle RW’s genitals.
According to RW’s testimony, he often had difficulty waking
up, and he was struggling to awaken during these events.
However, once appellant had partially removed RW’s pants to
expose his penis, he asked appellant what he was doing.
Appellant did not respond, but put one hand on RW’s upper leg
and the other on his stomach and proceeded to orally sodomize
him for approximately 30 seconds. RW testified that he was
initially shocked by the oral contact, but that once he fully
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realized what was happening, he pushed appellant away and ran to
the bathroom.
At conference, the Government requested that the members be
instructed on: (1) incapacity to consent due to sleepiness; and
(2) the victim’s tender years as possible explanations for the
victim’s initial lack of response to the sexual contact. The
judge issued the requested instructions, and appellant did not
object to the instructions given.
B. DISCUSSION
The test for the legal sufficiency of evidence to support a
finding of guilty is whether, when the evidence is viewed in the
light most favorable to the prosecution, “any rational trier of
fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond
a reasonable doubt." Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319
(1979). Particularly in light of the military judge’s
instructions on tender years and incapacity due to sleepiness, a
rational factfinder could reasonably have determined on the
basis of the evidence introduced at trial that the sexual
contact described by RW occurred without his consent while he
was in the process of awakening, and that he took steps to
terminate the contact once he became aware of it. Similarly,
the force used by appellant to make contact under these
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circumstances was sufficient to support the charge of forcible
sodomy.
II. FINDINGS INSTRUCTIONS
A. BACKGROUND
Appellant claims on appeal that prejudicial errors occurred
in the findings instructions issued by the military judge
(Granted Issue IV). A summary of the facts surrounding the
findings instructions follows.
During an Article 39(a) session following the close of
findings arguments by the parties, extensive debate ensued with
regard to the appropriate content of the instructions to be
presented to the members before deliberations. The military
judge showed the parties an outline of instructions that he had
prepared and informed the parties of his intent to distribute a
copy of the outline to each member at the time of oral
instructions.
Defense counsel objected to the outline, arguing that it
was confusing and that the members should be required to rely on
their own notes. The military judge overruled the objection and
proceeded to issue the outline to each member immediately prior
to giving the oral instructions. He advised that his oral
instructions would govern in the event of a conflict with the
written instructions.
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The written outline and the oral instructions initially
given were flawed in the following respects: (1) the military
judge erroneously instructed the members that constructive force
could constitute the requisite force to commit forcible sodomy
on RW; (2) the members were instructed that the law given
regarding force for the forcible sodomy specification applied
equally to the indecent assault specification; (3) the
instructions erroneously omitted the mistake-of-fact defense
with respect to the charge of forcible sodomy of RW; and (4) the
instructions erroneously omitted the tender-years instruction
for the specification concerning RW.
After the military judge issued the oral instructions,
trial counsel called the military judge’s attention to the
exclusion of the tender-years instruction. The military judge
immediately added the omitted instruction.
Following Government and defense arguments on findings, the
military judge observed that he had erroneously failed to
instruct the members on the defense of mistake of fact. He then
proceeded to give the omitted instruction to the members.
After approximately two hours of deliberation, the members
returned with a request for clarification of the force element
of the indecent assault specification. The military judge
called to the members’ attention the incorrect, written
instructions and proceeded to re-deliver the incorrect, oral
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instructions, erroneously informing the members once again that
the requirement of constructive or actual force for a rape or
forcible sodomy charge was equally applicable to indecent
assault.
The trial counsel then pointed out the error in the
indecent assault instruction. Over defense objection, the
military judge recalled the members to inform them of the
mistake and to issue correct instructions. He repeatedly
emphasized the significance of his error, asked them to cross
out the incorrect information on the written outline and write
in the Benchbook17 definition of force for indecent assault, and
orally delivered the standard instruction. He then asked the
members whether they were clear on the mistake and its remedy,
and the members agreed that they understood. They recommenced
deliberations for approximately 45 minutes and returned with a
verdict.
B. DISCUSSION
The propriety of the instructions given by a military judge
is reviewed de novo. United States v. Maxwell, 45 M.J. 406, 424
(1996).
The military judge initially delivered incorrect
instructions on the law in this case. Had he failed to correct
17
Military Judges' Benchbook, Department of the Army Pamphlet 27-9 (1 May
1982).
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
them, or even succeeded in correcting them but neglected to
clearly withdraw the earlier instructions, reversal would be
required. United States v. Truman, 19 USCMA 504, 507, 42 CMR
106, 109 (1970) (“Later correct instructions do not remedy the
defect in the absence of a clearly shown withdrawal of the first
erroneous instructions.”). However, the military judge clearly
retracted and then corrected these errors. All of the necessary
instructions were ultimately given in this case. The members
were repeatedly advised of the significance of the military
judge’s longest-lingering instructional error with respect to
the indecent assault charge, and they indicated that they
understood the mistake and the correction. A panel is presumed
to understand and follow the instructions of the military judge
absent competent evidence to the contrary. Loving, 41 M.J. at
235.
This case is distinguishable from United States v. Curry,
38 M.J. 77 (CMA 1993), a case in which the military judge did not
ultimately correct his error by issuing appropriate
instructions. Although the instructions in this complex case
were not presented in the most organized or coherent fashion
possible, under these circumstances the military judge did not
abuse his discretion in the overall manner in which the
instructions were delivered.
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Even had there been abuse of discretion by the military
judge here, appellant would have suffered no prejudice, as the
effect of the military judge’s instructional error was that
members deliberated for over an hour under an instruction more
favorable to appellant than the proper instruction to which he
was entitled.
III. ADMISSION OF EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY
A. BACKGROUND
The three teenage victims delayed reporting the incidents
for time periods ranging from a week to more than a month. The
Government offered an expert, Mr. Emerick, to testify on the
subject of delayed reporting of sexual assaults by victims of
abuse.
In laying a foundation for the relevance and reliability of
Mr. Emerick’s testimony and qualifying him as an expert, the
Government introduced testimony from the witness with respect to
his credentials. According to his testimony, the witness had a
bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in
“guidance in counseling,” and had completed three-fourths of a
doctoral degree. He had specialized in the treatment and risk
assessment of sex offenders, and in the treatment of victims of
sexual abuse for 16 years. Approximately two-thirds of his
practice was devoted to working with sex offenders, with the
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remainder spent treating victims. He estimated that he had
evaluated or treated approximately 1,000 survivors of sexual
abuse.
The witness further testified that he had presented seven
or eight major papers in this field and had published two
articles. He had taught at several universities and lectured at
several specialized professional programs. His experience in
assessment and treatment of perpetrators and victims of sexual
abuse included work in Canada and in the United States. With
respect to his qualification as an expert, the witness offered
that, on over 100 previous occasions, he had testified in court
as an expert in the field of sexual abuse.
Citing Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509
U.S. 579 (1993), defense counsel challenged Mr. Emerick’s
credentials as a witness and indicated an intent to question him
about the potential rate of error and general acceptance of the
studies upon which he was relying. The military judge then made
the following statement: “Okay. However, that doesn’t go to
his qualifications, it goes to how good his opinion is or not.
I mean, do you really think that I’m qualified to say whether or
not his answer is correct or not?” Defense counsel responded
that, under Daubert, it was the responsibility of the trial
judge to make a determination based on the factors enumerated in
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that case. The military judge replied, “I know Daubert…. But
what we’re going to do is we’re going to focus on M.R.E. 701.”
During voir dire, defense counsel elicited additional
information: (1) in one trial in which Mr. Emerick had been
qualified as an expert, an appellate state court later overruled
that qualification and stated that his credentials were
insufficient to qualify him as an expert; (2) Mr. Emerick’s
testimony would be predicated not on a single study, but on a
compilation of studies from the relevant literature; (3) these
studies did not indicate known rates of error; (4) he did not
know the sizes of the groups for the studies upon which he was
relying; and (5) at one time, Mr. Emerick was prohibited from
conducting tests in the state of Arizona due to charges of
unethical practices. The evidence also indicated that he
continued to practice in Arizona at the time of appellant’s
trial, had never been convicted of any offense related to
conduct of his practice, and that his license had never been
revoked due to the nature or quality of his work.
The military judge then questioned Mr. Emerick, and
further information was developed to indicate that the
principles upon which he would rely in testifying were valid and
generally accepted in the scientific community, and the articles
which would constitute a partial basis for his testimony had
not, to his knowledge, been discredited. The military judge
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accepted Mr. Emerick as an expert in “the treatment of both
sexual offenders and those stated to be victims of the same.”
B. DISCUSSION
Admission of opinion testimony by an expert in a court-
martial is governed by Mil. R. Evid. 702, which requires
qualification of the expert “by knowledge, skill, experience,
training, or education.” In Daubert, the Supreme Court held
that a trial judge is required to make a preliminary assessment
of whether the reasoning or methodology underlying the expert’s
testimony is scientifically sound, and whether that reasoning or
methodology properly applies to the facts at issue. 509 U.S. at
592-93. Subsequently, in Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael,
526 U.S. 137 (1999), the Supreme Court held that Daubert applies
not only to expert testimony based upon "scientific" knowledge,
but also to "technical" and "other specialized" knowledge
covered by Fed. R. Evid. 702. Id. at 146. The Court noted that
the trial judge has a "gatekeeping function" in these inquiries
to "ensure that any and all . . . [expert] testimony . . . is
not only relevant, but reliable." Id. at 147.
The rules of evidence provide expert witnesses with
testimonial latitude broader than other witnesses on the theory
"that the expert's opinion will have a reliable basis in the
knowledge and experience of his discipline." Id. at 148. In
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some cases, the reliability determination focuses on the
expert's qualifications to render the opinion in question. See
id. at 151. In others, it might center on the factual basis or
data that give rise to the opinion. See id. at 149, 151.
Daubert and Kumho Tire were aimed at ensuring the overall
reliability of the evidence, including any information used to
form the basis for an opinion.
The Court articulated a number of factors in Daubert which
can be useful to consider in reaching such a determination with
respect to a given theory or technique, including whether it can
be tested, whether it has been subjected to peer review, its
known or potential rate of error, and its general acceptance in
the scientific community. 509 U.S. at 594-95.
In the present case, some initial comments by the military
judge suggest that he did not plan to apply the appropriate
analysis under Daubert, and that he intended to rely on Mil. R.
Evid. 702 alone. However, in its totality, the record
demonstrates that he ultimately undertook the appropriate
considerations as provided in Daubert. Moreover, the scientific
principles to which the witness was called to testify —— namely,
general theories explaining the tendency of victims of sexual
abuse to delay reporting incidents of assault —— were not
particularly novel or controversial.
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Appellant did not challenge the relevance of the witness’s
testimony. Mr. Emerick testified that his opinions in this case
were based both on his own experience and on an overview of
analytical studies in the field. He testified that: (1) the
studies he relied upon were peer-reviewed; (2) the rates of
error were reported in the studies, but he presently lacked
recall of the rates for each study; (3) the studies were
scientifically valid, had not been repudiated, and were
generally accepted within the scientific community; and (4) he
still retained licenses to practice and had personal experience
treating victims of sexual abuse. On this record, the military
judge did not abuse his discretion in qualifying this witness as
an expert and admitting his testimony under Daubert and MRE 702.
PART C. CONCLUSION
The decision of the United States Army Court of Criminal
Appeals is affirmed with respect to specifications 1 and 3 of
Charge II but set aside with respect to Additional Charge I and
the sentence. The record of trial is returned to the Judge
Advocate General of the Army for further DuBay proceedings to
address the issues set forth in Section A.IV.C. of this opinion.
After such proceedings are concluded, the record of trial, along
with the military judge's findings of fact and conclusions of
law, will be returned to the Court of Criminal Appeals for
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further review under Article 66(c), UCMJ, 10 USC § 866(c).
Should that court conclude that the events affected the charge
involving RW in a manner prejudicial to appellant, Additional
Charge I and its specification shall be dismissed and a
rehearing on sentence shall be ordered. Should that court
conclude that the events did not affect the charge involving RW
in a manner prejudicial to appellant, it may again affirm the
findings with respect to Additional Charge I and its
specification, and the sentence. Thereafter, Article 67, UCMJ,
10 USC § 867, shall apply.
Alternatively, if the Judge Advocate General determines
that it is not practicable to conduct a Dubay hearing,
Additional Charge I and its specification shall be dismissed and
a rehearing on sentence shall be ordered.
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SULLIVAN, Senior Judge (concurring in part and dissenting in
part):
I would affirm the findings and sentence in this case. I
agree with the majority opinion regarding the sufficiency-of-
evidence question (Issue III) and the admission of the expert
witness’s testimony (Issue VI). However, I disagree with the
majority’s handling of the disqualification issues (Issues I and
II). In my view, the military judge did not err by choosing not
to disqualify himself, nor did the Army Court err by affirming
that decision. Additionally, the erroneous instruction (Issue
IV) did not constitute plain error, and the “exculpatory”
evidence (Issue V) was not material.
In assessing whether the judge should have recused himself
under RCM 902(a), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (1995
ed.), the majority claims that the judge’s behavior in this case
put the court-martial’s “legality, fairness, and impartiality” in
doubt. __ MJ at (110). I agree that the military judge behaved
inappropriately in this case by interjecting himself into a
dispute with the witnesses; however, appellant has not shown any
prejudice with respect to the offenses for which he was
convicted. See Liljeberg v. Health Services Acquisition Corp.,
486 U.S. 847, 862 (1988)(examining violations of the federal
recusal statute, 28 USC § 455(a), for harmless error); see also
Article 59(a), UCMJ, 10 USC § 859(a). As the lower court
United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
recognized, the judge’s confrontation with Mr. Bernstein “played
directly into the defense’s theory” that Bernstein was a
“manipulator.” See United States v. Quintanilla, 52 M.J. 839, 855
(Army Ct. Crim. App. 2000). More importantly, appellant was
found not guilty of the offenses against the two civilians whom
Mr. Bernstein was supporting at this court-martial.
Finally, although the majority did not resolve it, I would
face the issue of whether the Government’s failure to disclose a
potentially exculpatory statement violated appellant’s due
process rights (Issue V). According to the Supreme Court,
“[government suppression of] evidence favorable to an accused
upon request violates due process where the evidence is material
either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith
or bad faith of the prosecution.” Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S.
83, 87 (1963); see also RCM 701(a)(6). In order to comply with
the materiality component of the Brady doctrine, the Supreme
Court examines whether “the favorable evidence could reasonably
be taken to put the whole case in such a different light as to
undermine confidence in the verdict.” Strickler v. Greene, 527
U.S. 263, 290 (1999) (quoting Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 435
(1995)); see also United States v. Williams, 50 M.J. 436, 440
(1999). At issue in this case is a statement made by Mr.
Bernstein, a government witness, upon learning that he had been
subpoenaed, that he would “testify for the defense, and tell the
court everything was made up.” Defense Appellate Exhibit E.
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United States v. Quintanilla, No. 00-0499/AR
The failure to disclose Mr. Bernstein’s statement was not
material, as I show below, and would not “undermine confidence in
the verdict.” See Strickler, supra. Assuming arguendo that
Bernstein had indeed invented the entirety of his testimony, his
fabrications would not have affected the credibility of the
victims. First of all, Mr. Bernstein had no connection with the
two military victims. Also, appellant was acquitted of the
charges involving two civilian victims, Bennett and Sweeney,
supposedly in Mr. Bernstein’s “control.” While appellant was
convicted of charges related to the third civilian victim,
Welton, Mr. Bernstein had minimal contact with him; Welton
discussed the allegations with his father, never with
Mr. Bernstein. See Quintanilla, 52 M.J. at 841.
3