
USCA1 Opinion

	




        October 4, 1996         [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT                                 ____________________        No. 96-1843                                        IN RE:                              UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                                     Petitioner.                                 ____________________             ON PETITION FOR MANDAMUS TO THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS                     [Hon. William G. Young, U.S. District Judge]                                             ___________________                                 ____________________        No. 96-1866                              UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                                      Appellant,                                          v.                                DWAYNE OWENS, ET AL.,                                Defendants, Appellees.                                ______________________                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS                     [Hon. William G. Young, U.S. District Judge]                                             ___________________                               ________________________                                        Before                                Torruella, Chief Judge,                                           ___________                           Selya and Stahl, Circuit Judges.                                            ______________                                 ____________________            Donald K. Stern, United States Attorney,  Andrea N. Ward, Gary  S.            _______________                           ______________  ________        Katzmann,  Jeffrey A. Locke and Allison D. Burroughs, Assistant United        ________   ________________     ____________________        States Attorneys, on brief for appellant and petitioner.            Miriam Conrad on brief for appellee Dwayne Owens.            _____________            John M. Moscardelli on brief for appellee Keillen Smith.            ___________________            John Salsberg on brief for appellee Johnny Stephens.            _____________            Michael Liston on brief for appellee Coleman Essex.            ______________            Michael C. Bourbeau on brief for appellee Fernando Owens.            ___________________            Bernard Grossberg on brief for appellee Robert Owens.            _________________            James J. Coviello on brief for appellee Gordon Lowe.            _________________            Michael C. Andrews on brief for appellee Wayne Meadows.            __________________                                 ____________________                                 ____________________                 Per Curiam.   Even  assuming, without deciding,  that we                 __________            have jurisdiction to consider this interlocutory  appeal, see                                                                      ___            18 U.S.C.    3731; United States v. Kane, 646  F.2d 4, 8 (1st                               _____________    ____            Cir. 1981), we would not reverse the district court's refusal            to  review the  government's  ex parte  memorandum.   Such  a                                          __ _____            decision  is  committed to  the  discretion  of the  district            court.  See Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(d)(1); see also United States                    ___                            ________ _____________            v.  Levasseur,  826  F.2d  158,  159  (1st  Cir.  1987);  see                _________                                             ___            generally United States v. Napue, 834 F.2d 1311, 1317-19 (7th            _________ _____________    _____            Cir. 1987).                   The  record does not support the government's assertions            that the  district court misunderstood its  authority in that            regard  or nullified Rule 16(d)(1).  To the contrary, read as            a whole, the  July 30 transcript indicates  that the district            court  was aware  of  its discretion,  but  not persuaded  to            exercise  it in the government's  favor, and did  not see the            need  in  this  particular  case  to  review   the  ex  parte                                                                __  _____            memorandum.   Although  the district  court made  some rather            broad comments about refusing  ex parte materials in general,                                           __ _____            it also gave the government a chance to  describe the type of            information contained in the memorandum and weighed the value            of  that type of information against the risk of prejudice to            the  defendants,  all  in   the  context  of  addressing  the            government's witness-safety concerns.                                         -3-                 Further, in these circumstances, mandamus  relief is not            warranted.  See Doughty v. Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, 6                        ___ _______    _______________________________            F.3d 856, 865 (1st Cir. 1993); Kane, 646 F.2d at 9.                                             ____                 The order is affirmed, and the petition for mandamus  is                              ________            dismissed.  The limited stay granted by this court is lifted.            _________                                             ______            See 1st Cir. Loc. R. 27.1.            ___                                         -4-
