📄 Sidebar: prosecution preparation — Wednesday, March 15, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\15\SIDEBAR-PROSECUTION-PREPARATIO.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 38 of 167

Sidebar: prosecution preparation

Date: Wednesday, March 15, 1995 • Utterances: 16
At sidebar, Marcia Clark objected to F. Lee Bailey's line of questioning about when the prosecution began formally preparing a witness for direct examination. Clark argued the question was misleading under Evidence Code 352 and implicated work product privilege, contending the witness could not know the prosecution's internal planning timeline. Judge Ito overruled the objection, allowing Bailey to ask the narrow factual question of whether any plan was communicated to the witness before a Newsweek article was published.
1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD AT THE BENCH:)
2 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. WE ARE OVER AT THE SIDE BAR. MISS CLARK, WHAT IS THE OBJECTION?

3 MS. CLARK:

THE OBJECTION IS THAT MISLEADS THE JURY INTO BELIEVING THAT THERE WAS ANY PREPARATION AT THAT TIME IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WERE REALLY GOING TO QUESTION THE WITNESS ABOUT OR HOW WE WERE GOING TO STRUCTURE DIRECT. THERE WAS NONE. THAT DIDN'T OCCUR UNTIL AFTER THAT, WAY AFTER THAT, SO THAT THERE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY STRATEGIZING, THERE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY PLANNING THE INFERENCE THAT MR. BAILEY IS SEEKING TO DRAW IS HAD THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE NOT COME OUT WE WOULD NOT HAVE EXPOSED THE FACT THAT WE HAD PREPARED THE CASE WITH THE WITNESS AND QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT THESE THINGS. AND THAT IS NOT A FAIR INFERENCE BECAUSE WE HADN'T PREPARED FOR WHAT WE WERE GOING TO ASK YET. THAT WAS -- THAT WAS WHAT PART OF THE GRAND JURY SESSION WAS ABOUT.

4 THE COURT:

UH-HUH.

5 MS. CLARK:

IT IS AN UNFAIR INFERENCE BEING LEFT WITH THIS JURY.

6 THE COURT:

WHAT IS THE LEGAL BASIS?

7 MS. CLARK:

MISLEADING UNDER 352. IT WILL CONFUSE THE JURY. IT WILL MISLEAD THE JURY. THIS IS DECEPTIVE. YOU KNOW, IT ALSO GOES TO WORK PRODUCT, YOUR HONOR. YOU KNOW, HOW WE PLAN AND WHEN WE PLAN AND STRATEGIZE THE QUESTIONING OF A WITNESS IS A MATTER -- IT'S A SUBJECT MATTER OF WORK PRODUCT THAT THE COURT IS PERMITTING COUNSEL TO GO INTO. THIS WITNESS DOESN'T KNOW THE NICETIES OF THIS, BUT THIS IS A MATTER OF WHEN WE REALLY SAT DOWN TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WERE TO GO ASK ABOUT, IN WHAT ORDER, HOW HIS DIRECT EXAMINATION WAS GOING TO BE STRUCTURED, SO AT THE POINT IN TIME THAT COUNSEL IS REFERRING TO THAT HADN'T OCCURRED YET. I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY BEGUN -- I AM TRYING TO THINK WHEN I REALLY STRUCTURED THE MATTER OF QUESTIONING. IT WAS PRETTY LATE -- IT WAS PRETTY LATE. I DIDN'T EVEN BEGIN IT I THINK UNTIL A WEEK BEFORE HE TOOK THE STAND. HE WOULDN'T KNOW THAT. HE DOESN'T KNOW. WE SIT AND WE REVIEW FACTS AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT HE REMEMBERS, YOU KNOW, AND I ASK HIM TO REVIEW HIS PRELIM TESTIMONY AND YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, THE WAY PEOPLE WOULD ORDINARILY PREPARE A WITNESS. BUT I DID NOT ACTUALLY SAY "WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS" ACTUALLY UNTIL - I'M TRYING TO THINK WHEN I DID. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHEN I DID IT.

8 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.)
9 MS. CLARK:

THE WHOLE AREA IS IRRELEVANT, YOUR HONOR, AND WHAT COUNSEL IS TRYING TO ELICIT FROM THIS WITNESS, BY WAY OF INFERENCE, THIS WITNESS CAN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT AND WE ARE TALKING AS WELL ABOUT WORK PRODUCT.

10 THE COURT:

ARE YOU TAKING THE POSITION THAT PREPARING WITNESSES TO TESTIFY IS IRRELEVANT?

KEY QUOTE
11 MS. CLARK:

NO, NO, I'M NOT. I'M TAKING THE POSITION THAT ASKING THIS WITNESS TO SPECULATE OR TO TRY TO DRAW THE INFERENCE FROM THIS WITNESS THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE DIVULGED THE GRAND JURY EXAMINATION BUT FOR THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE IS UNFAIR AND MISLEADING TO THE JURY BECAUSE HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE PLANNING TO DO BEFORE, AFTER OR DURING.

12 THE COURT:

MR. BAILEY.

13 MR. BAILEY:

I'M NOT ASKING HIM TO DRAW ANY INFERENCE. I'M ASKING HIM IF A PLAN WAS EVER MADE KNOWN TO HIM BETWEEN THE EVENTS AND THE PUBLICATION, AND I THINK THAT IS A SIMPLE HISTORICAL FACT, BUT WHAT ARGUMENT IS MADE OF IT IS SOMETHING YOUR HONOR MAY TO RULE ON LATER. I THINK IT A FAIR QUESTION UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

14 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THE OBJECTION IS OVERRULED, ASSUMING THE QUESTION IS REASKED IN THAT PARAMETER, WHETHER OR NOT IT PRECEDED.

15 MR. BAILEY:

YES.

16 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Marcia Clark
THE INFERENCE THAT MR. BAILEY IS SEEKING TO DRAW IS HAD THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE NOT COME OUT WE WOULD NOT HAVE EXPOSED THE FACT THAT WE HAD PREPARED THE CASE WITH THE WITNESS AND QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT THESE THINGS.
Clark reveals the strategic stakes — Bailey is trying to imply the prosecution only disclosed grand jury examination details because a Newsweek article forced their hand.
Marcia Clark
I DIDN'T EVEN BEGIN IT I THINK UNTIL A WEEK BEFORE HE TOOK THE STAND. HE WOULDN'T KNOW THAT.
Clark inadvertently discloses specifics of her own witness prep timeline while arguing the witness couldn't know it — a candid admission that undercuts her broader argument.
F. Lee Bailey
I'M ASKING HIM IF A PLAN WAS EVER MADE KNOWN TO HIM BETWEEN THE EVENTS AND THE PUBLICATION, AND I THINK THAT IS A SIMPLE HISTORICAL FACT.
Bailey reframes the question as a narrow factual inquiry, stripping away Clark's characterization of it as speculation-inducing, which persuades Ito.
Lance A. Ito
ARE YOU TAKING THE POSITION THAT PREPARING WITNESSES TO TESTIFY IS IRRELEVANT?
Ito cuts to the heart of Clark's overreach, signaling skepticism of her relevance objection before ruling against her.

Evidence (2)

Informal
Newsweek article whose publication allegedly prompted disclosure of the witness's grand jury examination
discussed as triggering event for Bailey's line of questioning
Informal
Witness's preliminary hearing testimony, which Clark says she asked the witness to review as part of standard prep
referenced informally

Notable Exchanges (2)

Marcia ClarkLance A. Ito
Clark argued witness prep timing was both irrelevant and protected work product; Ito pointedly asked whether she was claiming witness preparation itself was irrelevant, exposing the weakness in her position before overruling.
strategic
F. Lee BaileyLance A. Ito
Bailey recast his question as a simple historical fact — was a plan ever communicated to the witness before the Newsweek publication — and Ito accepted that framing in overruling Clark.
strategic

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Prosecution / Marcia Clark
timeline impeachment via media event
Bailey sought to establish that the prosecution's disclosure of the grand jury examination was reactive — triggered by the Newsweek article — rather than planned, implying the prosecution concealed or delayed the information.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 5294 • 16 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 MAR 15, 1995 📄 Sidebar: prosecution preparati
MAR 15, 1995 KRT DvH TD