📄 Lunch recess — Monday, September 18, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\SEP\18\LUNCH-RECESS.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 156 of 167

Lunch recess

Date: Monday, September 18, 1995 • Utterances: 26
Court recessed for lunch after dismissing the jury, with an unreported bench conference involving Clark and Cochran. Upon returning, Kelberg argued that prosecution witness Martz should be allowed to review Dr. Whitehurst's interview transcript before cross-examination, since the defense planned to use it for impeachment. The judge granted a single copy. Clark also announced a motion for judicial notice — tied to Henry Lee's testimony — regarding the defense's failure to seek court orders to inspect the socks, Bronco, or crime scene impressions.
1 THE COURT:

All right. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll take our recess for the noon hour. Please remember all my admonitions to you; don't discuss the case amongst yourselves, form any opinions about the case, do not conduct any deliberations until the matter has been submitted to you or allow anybody to communicate with you with regard to the case. We'll stand in recess until 1:00 o'clock. And let me see Miss Clark and Mr. Cochran just for a moment. All right. Mr. Bodziak, you may step down.

2 (A conference was held at the bench, not reported.)
3 (At 12:00 P.M., the noon recess was taken until 1:00 P.M. of the same day.)
4 (Appearances as heretofore noted.)
5 (Janet M. Moxham, CSR no. 4855, official reporter.)
6 (Christine M. Olson, CSR no. 2378, official reporter.)
7 (The following proceedings were held in open court, out of the presence of the jury:)
8 THE COURT:

All right. Back on the record in the Simpson matter. All parties are again present. All right. Deputy Trower, let's have the jury. I'm sorry. Mr. Kelberg.

9 MR. KELBERG:

Very quickly. Mr. Yochelson informed me that shortly before the noon hour, he came down. I'm not sure it was in direct communication with the court, but the response I got was, we had requested to allow Mr. Martz the opportunity to review the transcript of the interview with Dr. Whitehurst in order that we may ascertain his views of the allegations that are made. The allegations just for the most part do not directly pertain to anything Mr. Martz did in the Simpson case, they deal with other allegations, and that not to allow Mr. Martz the opportunity to review what these allegations are and to give us his perspective on these allegations obviously is in our judgment quite unfair for we have no idea how much of a mini trial there would have to be regarding the allegations. Separate and apart from that is, the court is probably--

10 THE COURT:

The bottom line is, you are asking for an opportunity to make an additional copy of the transcript?

11 MR. KELBERG:

And submit it directly to Mr. Martz for him to be able to comment upon it to me.

12 MR. BLASIER:

Well, we object. We intend to use that for impeachment and there are specific things about this case. That's just not accurate. There was a lot of discussion about this case and memos about this case. So we will be cross-examining or asking further questions of Agent Martz about his truthfulness in this case.

KEY QUOTE
13 MR. KELBERG:

Your Honor, I don't think that's an accurate characterization. But whether or not I'm correct on the percentages or Mr. Blasier is, this is the equivalent in essence of an expert's report, Dr. Whitehurst's report, and--

14 THE COURT:

Matter submitted?

15 MR. KELBERG:

Yes.

16 THE COURT:

Granted.

17 MR. KELBERG:

Thank you, your Honor.

18 THE COURT:

Restricted to one copy.

KEY QUOTE
19 MR. KELBERG:

Thank you, your Honor.

20 THE COURT:

All right. Deputy Trower, let's have the jurors, please.

21 MS. CLARK:

Your Honor, the People are filing a motion for request for judicial notice that we're going to ask the court to give before we conclude today, and so at the conclusion of Mr. Bodziak's testimony--

22 THE COURT:

I haven't given waxing and waning yet either.

23 MS. CLARK:

I know. So we have some more to add to that. I'm filing that with the court now. Defense will get a copy before we conclude today. We need to be heard on that so that we can wrap it up.

24 THE COURT:

What's the nature of your request for judicial notice?

25 MS. CLARK:

There will be a request to have the court take judicial notice--this is pursuant to Henry Lee's testimony, your Honor--that the Defense never sought a court order for inspection of the socks between November 22nd on the date they were returned from DOJ and February 16th, the date that they actually did inspect them, they never sought a court order for inspection of the Bronco or complained about their access to the Bronco or never sought a court order for impressions of the crime scene or complained--

26 THE COURT:

I got the flavor.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Lance A. Ito
I got the flavor.
Ito's terse cutoff of Clark mid-sentence — characteristic of his no-nonsense courtroom management.
Lance A. Ito
Restricted to one copy.
Concise ruling limiting prosecution's access to the Whitehurst transcript while still granting relief.
Robert Blasier
We intend to use that for impeachment and there are specific things about this case... we will be cross-examining or asking further questions of Agent Martz about his truthfulness in this case.
Defense signals a credibility attack on FBI Agent Martz using the Whitehurst whistleblower materials.
Marcia Clark
The Defense never sought a court order for inspection of the socks between November 22nd on the date they were returned from DOJ and February 16th, the date that they actually did inspect them, they never sought a court order for inspection of the Bronco or complained about their access to the Bronco...
Prosecution framing a judicial notice motion to undercut defense complaints about evidence access — tied directly to Henry Lee's testimony.

Evidence (4)

Informal
Transcript of FBI whistleblower Dr. Whitehurst's interview, containing allegations about FBI lab practices including references to this case
disputed — prosecution sought to provide to witness Martz for review; defense objected as it was earmarked for impeachment
Informal
The socks — defense's access and failure to seek court-ordered inspection between November 22 and February 16
referenced in Clark's judicial notice motion
Informal
The Bronco — defense's access and failure to seek court-ordered inspection
referenced in Clark's judicial notice motion
Informal
Crime scene impressions — defense's failure to seek court order or complain about access
referenced in Clark's judicial notice motion

Notable Exchanges (2)

Brian KelbergRobert Blasier
Kelberg argued the Whitehurst transcript is essentially an expert report and Martz deserves a chance to respond; Blasier pushed back, asserting the transcript directly concerns Martz's truthfulness in this case and should remain a surprise for cross.
strategic
Marcia ClarkLance A. Ito
Clark began a lengthy recitation of her judicial notice motion; Ito cut her off with 'I got the flavor' before she could finish listing the items.
routine with a hint of impatience

Light Moments (2)

Lance A. Ito
Ito cuts off Clark mid-sentence with 'I got the flavor' — a deadpan judicial shorthand that doubles as a mild rebuke.
Lance A. Ito
Ito notes almost parenthetically that he hasn't given his 'waxing and waning' instruction yet, suggesting a familiar ritual the parties are waiting on.

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ William Martz
prior inconsistent statement / bias via third-party whistleblower report
Defense (Blasier) planned to use Whitehurst's interview transcript to challenge Martz's truthfulness, arguing the transcript contains case-specific allegations about Martz's conduct, not just general FBI lab criticism.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 7713 • 26 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 SEP 18, 1995 📄 Lunch recess
SEP 18, 1995 KRT DvH TD