Jarbough v. Atty Gen USA ( 2007 )


Menu:
  •                                                                                                                            Opinions of the United
    2007 Decisions                                                                                                             States Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit
    4-11-2007
    Jarbough v. Atty Gen USA
    Precedential or Non-Precedential: Precedential
    Docket No. 06-1081
    Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2007
    Recommended Citation
    "Jarbough v. Atty Gen USA" (2007). 2007 Decisions. Paper 1165.
    http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2007/1165
    This decision is brought to you for free and open access by the Opinions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at Villanova
    University School of Law Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in 2007 Decisions by an authorized administrator of Villanova
    University School of Law Digital Repository. For more information, please contact Benjamin.Carlson@law.villanova.edu.
    PRECEDENTIAL
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
    __________
    No. 06-1081
    __________
    ADEL FADLALA JARBOUGH,
    Petitioner,
    v.
    ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES.
    ______________________
    On Review of a Decision of the
    Board of Immigration Appeals
    (Agency No. A79 138 652)
    Immigration Judge: R.K. Malloy
    Submitted pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
    January 25, 2007
    Before: SCIRICA, Chief Judge, FUENTES and CHAGARES,
    Circuit Judges.
    (Filed: April 11, 2007)
    Marc J. Reiter
    Suite 600
    312 Boulevard of the Allies
    Pittsburgh, PA 15222
    Counsel for Petitioner
    Adel Fadlala Jarbough
    Richard M. Evans
    Joan E. Smiley
    Genevieve Holm
    United States Department of Justice
    Office of Immigration Litigation
    P.O. Box 878
    Ben Franklin Station
    Washington, DC 20044
    Counsel for Respondent
    Attorney General of the United States
    OPINION OF THE COURT
    CHAGARES, Circuit Judge.
    Adel Jarbough petitions for review of a final order of
    removal issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”). As
    explained below, we lack jurisdiction to review Jarbough’s claim
    that extraordinary circumstances excused the late filing of his
    asylum application. In addition, substantial evidence supports the
    BIA’s denial of withholding of removal, and the Immigration
    Judge’s (“IJ”) rulings and conduct did not violate the Due Process
    Clause. Accordingly, we will dismiss the petition for review in
    part, and deny it in part.
    I.
    Mr. Jarbough is a native and citizen of Syria. In March
    2001, he entered the United States as a non-immigrant authorized
    to remain until June of that year. Jarbough overstayed his visa, and
    in December 2002 he filed an application for asylum, withholding
    of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture
    (“CAT”).1 Jarbough claimed to have suffered persecution in Syria
    1
    United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other
    Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Dec. 10,
    2
    on account of his being a Druze,2 and on account of a pro-Israeli
    political opinion imputed to him by the Syrian government.
    Jarbough conceded that he filed his asylum application more
    than one year after his arrival in the United States. However, he
    claimed that extraordinary circumstances excused the delay. See
    
    8 U.S.C. § 1158
    (a)(2)(B), (D). Specifically, in May 2001,
    Jarbough consulted with an attorney (not counsel in the present
    appeal). Jarbough described his troubles in Syria, and the attorney
    opined that Jarbough had little hope of winning asylum. When the
    meeting ended, the men went their separate ways. Critically,
    though, the attorney neglected to mention the one-year deadline for
    filing an asylum application. According to Jarbough, this negligent
    omission was an extraordinary circumstance capable of tolling the
    one-year deadline.
    As to the merits, Jarbough styled his application as a “mixed
    motives” case. See Singh v. Gonzales, 
    406 F.3d 191
    , 197 (3d Cir.
    2005). He claimed that the Syrian government’s decision to
    persecute him resulted from a number of factors. First and
    foremost, he was a Druze. Jarbough claimed that the Syrian
    government has traditionally suspected the Druze of collaborating
    with the Israelis. Second, Jarbough had served in the Syrian
    military and worked as a civilian employee of the Ministry of
    Defense. Third, he had been in communication with his uncle, a
    resident of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. In early 2001,
    Jarbough’s uncle visited his family in Syria for the first time since
    the 1967 Six-Day War. Jarbough and his uncle subsequently spent
    two days together. This apparently raised the suspicions of the
    Syrian intelligence authorities. Jarbough claimed that these
    authorities believed he was an Israeli spy and, for that, they
    1984, 1465 U.N.T.S. 85, implemented in the United States by the
    Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, Pub. L. No.
    105-277, § 2242, 
    112 Stat. 2681
    -761 (codified at 
    8 U.S.C. § 1231
    ).
    2
    The Druze religion grew out of Shia Islam and was founded
    in the eleventh century. Its adherents are primarily concentrated in
    Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. See generally Salman Falah, The
    Druze in the Middle East 1-4 (2002).
    3
    persecuted him.
    A few weeks after the visit from Jarbough’s uncle, Syrian
    intelligence officers seized Jarbough from his home and took him
    to their facility. The officers placed Jarbough in an interrogation
    room that contained wires and electrical cables. They told
    Jarbough, “[I]f you don’t tell the truth . . . you will have [the] feel
    of it.” Appendix (“App.”) 192. Although the officers did not use
    the electrical devices, they repeatedly screamed at Jarbough and
    jabbed their fingers and fists into his shoulder. After four hours of
    interrogation, they released him.
    Ten days later, the authorities seized Jarbough again. This
    time he remained in their custody for two days. Once again, the
    officers cursed and screamed, yelling, “You are a spy, all of you
    are.” App. 210. In the interrogation room, Jarbough saw electric-
    shock machines that looked similar to torture devices he had seen
    on television. The officers did not use the devices, but they did
    administer a series of kicks, shoves, and pushes. After two days,
    the officers released Jarbough and told him to remain in his house.
    Jarbough had some bruises, but he did not go to a doctor because
    his injuries “did not really require immediate medical
    intervention.” App. 258. Shortly thereafter, he left for the United
    States.
    Jarbough recounted these tribulations at an August 2004
    hearing before an IJ. At the beginning of the hearing, Jarbough’s
    attorney asked for a continuance. He wanted a delay to secure the
    expert testimony of Professor Joshua Landis, a scholar well-versed
    in the historical plight of the Syrian Druze. The IJ responded that
    she was “finishing th[e] case today.” App. 137. Her next available
    hearing date was in April 2005, and she viewed an eight-month
    delay as unacceptable. Rebuffed, Jarbough’s attorney instead
    submitted an article by Professor Landis. See Joshua Landis,
    Shishakli and the Druzes: Integration and Intransigence, in The
    Syrian Land: Processes of Integration and Fragmentation 369 (T.
    Philipp & B. Schaebler eds., 1998), reprinted in App. 515-37. The
    IJ stated that she would “certainly take note of th[e] article.” App.
    142.
    Jarbough’s attorney also sought to introduce the testimony
    4
    of Norris El-Attrache. Like Jarbough, El-Attrache is a Syrian
    Druze. He was prepared to describe the Syrian government’s
    persecution of his family. According to counsel, this evidence
    would show “that people similarly situated to [Jarbough] have
    disappeared and/or are being killed based on the fact that they are
    [D]ruze.” App. 136. The IJ refused to allow it. She reasoned that
    El-Attrache’s testimony would effectively require her to “entertain
    . . . 2 asylum applications.” App. 136. Nonetheless, Jarbough’s
    counsel did submit an affidavit from El-Attrache. In it, El-Attrache
    spoke generally about the Druze religion, discussed the persecution
    of the Druze by the Syrian government, and stated that “on
    Feb[ruary] 4, 1954, [his] father was killed in battle with the Syrian
    army.” App. 682-83.
    With these preliminary considerations disposed of, Jarbough
    took the stand and testified. During the hearing, the IJ repeatedly
    sustained objections that Jarbough’s counsel was asking leading
    questions. At one point, there occurred a rather testy exchange
    between the IJ and Jarbough’s attorney. Jarbough was describing
    the cables he had seen in the intelligence facility’s interrogation
    room. Counsel asked, “What kind of cables were these?” App.
    193. At this point, the Department of Homeland Security’s
    attorney objected on relevance grounds. Jarbough’s attorney
    responded, “They’re electrical cables.” 
    Id.
     Moments later,
    Jarbough parroted, “Electrical cables.” 
    Id.
     This angered the IJ.
    She scolded Jarbough’s attorney and admonished him to “[s]top
    giving the answers.” App. 194-98.
    Jarbough’s testimony continued. The next day, the IJ heard
    closing arguments and rendered an oral decision. She concluded
    that no extraordinary circumstances excused Jarbough’s failure to
    comply with the one-year deadline. In the alternative, she found
    that Jarbough had not established eligibility for asylum. The IJ
    also found him ineligible for withholding of removal and CAT
    relief.
    On appeal, the BIA affirmed. It adopted most of the IJ’s
    findings and added a few thoughts of its own. Specifically, it
    explained in greater detail why the omission by the attorney
    Jarbough visited did not constitute an extraordinary circumstance.
    5
    This petition for review followed. Jarbough challenges the
    BIA’s rejection of his asylum application as untimely, its denial of
    withholding of removal, and he also contends that several of the
    IJ’s rulings as well as her conduct violated the Due Process Clause.
    II.
    We consider first Jarbough’s claim that extraordinary
    circumstances excused the late filing of his asylum application.
    Under 
    8 U.S.C. § 1158
    (a)(2)(B), an alien must file an asylum
    application within one year of his arrival in the United States. A
    late-filed application may be excused if the alien demonstrates “to
    the satisfaction of the Attorney General either the existence of
    changed circumstances which materially affect the applicant’s
    eligibility for asylum or extraordinary circumstances relating to the
    delay in filing an application . . . .” 
    8 U.S.C. § 1158
    (a)(2)(D).
    Immediately after that provision, paragraph (a)(3) states that “[n]o
    court shall have jurisdiction to review any determination of the
    Attorney General under paragraph (2).” 
    8 U.S.C. § 1158
    (a)(3).
    Accordingly, in Tarrawally v. Ashcroft, 
    338 F.3d 180
     (3d Cir.
    2003), we held that § 1158(a)(3) stripped us of jurisdiction to
    review a “determination that an asylum petition was not filed
    within the one year limitations period, and that such period was not
    tolled by extraordinary circumstances.” Id. at 185.
    After Tarrawally, however, Congress enacted the REAL ID
    Act of 2005. Section 106 of the REAL ID Act restored our
    jurisdiction to review “constitutional claims or questions of law
    raised upon a petition for review . . . .” REAL ID Act of 2005 §
    106(a)(1)(A)(iii), 
    8 U.S.C. § 1252
    (a)(2)(D).3
    The jurisdictional grant of § 1252(a)(2)(D) is narrowly
    circumscribed. See Saloum v. U.S. Citizenship & Immig. Servs.,
    
    437 F.3d 238
    , 242-43 (2d Cir. 2006); Higuit v. Gonzales, 
    433 F.3d 417
    , 419 (4th Cir. 2006). For instance, it is clear that courts of
    appeals continue to have no jurisdiction to review discretionary and
    factual determinations presented in petitions for review. See, e.g.,
    3
    We have jurisdiction to determine whether we have
    jurisdiction. United States v. Ruiz, 
    536 U.S. 622
    , 628 (2002).
    6
    Diallo v. Gonzales, 
    447 F.3d 1274
    , 1281 (10th Cir. 2006); Jean v.
    Gonzales, 
    435 F.3d 475
    , 480 (4th Cir. 2006); Sukwanputra v.
    Gonzales, 
    434 F.3d 627
    , 634 (3d Cir. 2006) (“Despite the special
    treatment accorded constitutional claims and questions of law, §
    1252(a)(2)(D) does not exempt factual or discretionary challenges
    from the jurisdiction-stripping provisions of the INA.”); Mehilli v.
    Gonzales, 
    433 F.3d 86
    , 93 (1st Cir. 2005); Vasile v. Gonzales, 
    417 F.3d 766
    , 768 (7th Cir. 2005).
    In Sukwanputra, the petitioners claimed they had presented
    a question of law as to whether they were entitled to an extension
    under § 1158(a)(2)(D). We recognized in that case that petitioners
    were, in fact, challenging an exercise of discretion and noted
    “[s]uch a claim does not raise a constitutional claim or question of
    law covered by the REAL ID Act’s judicial review provision.” 
    434 F.3d at 635
    . We concluded “that, despite the changes of the REAL
    ID Act, . . . § 1158(a)(3) continues to divest [us] of jurisdiction to
    review . . . whether an alien established changed or extraordinary
    circumstances that would excuse his untimely filing.” Id.
    Our decision in Sukwanputra is in accord with the decisions
    of other courts holding that challenges to the BIA’s extraordinary
    or changed circumstances determinations do not constitute
    “questions of law” within the meaning of § 1252(a)(2)(D). See,
    e.g., Ignatova v. Gonzales, 
    430 F.3d 1209
    , 1214 (8th Cir. 2005);
    Chacon-Botero v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 
    427 F.3d 954
    , 957 (11th Cir.
    2005); Vasile, 
    417 F.3d at 768
    . Specifically, courts have
    recognized arguments such as that an Immigration Judge or the
    BIA incorrectly weighed evidence, failed to consider evidence or
    improperly weighed equitable factors are not questions of law
    under § 1252(a)(2)(D). See, e.g., Bugayong v. Immigration & Nat.
    Serv., 
    442 F.3d 67
    , 71-72 (2d Cir. 2006); Elysee v. Gonzales, 
    437 F.3d 221
    , 223-24 (1st Cir. 2006); Higuit, 
    433 F.3d at 420
    . In
    contrast, we have recognized that § 1252(a)(2)(D) confers upon us
    jurisdiction over purely legal questions such as whether a particular
    offense qualifies as an aggravated felony under the definition set
    forth in 
    8 U.S.C. § 1101
    (a)(43). See Jeune v. Attorney General,
    
    476 F.3d 199
    , 201 (3d Cir. 2007); Park v. Attorney General, 
    472 F.3d 66
    , 70 (3d Cir. 2006); Bobb v. Attorney General, 
    458 F.3d 213
    , 217 (3d Cir. 2006); Ng v. Attorney General, 
    436 F.3d 392
    ,
    394-95 (3d Cir. 2006) (whether a crime falls within §
    7
    1101(a)(43)(F) is “a question of pure statutory interpretation.”).
    Petitioners alleging “constitutional claims” under §
    1252(a)(2)(D) must, as a threshold, state a colorable violation of
    the United States Constitution. See Mehilli, 
    433 F.3d at 94
    ;
    Martinez-Rosas v. Gonzales, 
    424 F.3d 926
    , 930 (9th Cir. 2005). In
    the present case, Jarbough claims that the extraordinary
    circumstances analyses of the IJ and the BIA ignored certain
    evidence and contained “clear factual mistakes” that resulted in “a
    denial of due process.” See Jarbough Brief 15-16. On that basis,
    he asserts that we have jurisdiction to review his “constitutional
    claim[].”
    We are not bound by the label attached by a party to
    characterize a claim and will look beyond the label to analyze the
    substance of a claim. To do otherwise would elevate form over
    substance and would put a premium on artful labeling. See New
    Jersey v. Dep’t of Health & Human Servs., 
    670 F.2d 1262
    , 1272
    (3d Cir. 1981). Accordingly, artful labeling will not confer us with
    jurisdiction. See Avendano-Espejo v. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 
    448 F.3d 503
    , 505-06 (2d Cir. 2006) (per curiam) (“[P]etitioner’s
    attempt to ‘dress up’ his challenge with the language of ‘due
    process’ is insufficient to provide our Court with jurisdiction to
    review his claim . . . .”); Saloum, 
    437 F.3d at 243
     (“[W]e [do not]
    believe that Saloum’s talismanic invocation of the language of ‘due
    process’ itself suffices to provide this Court with jurisdiction to
    review petitioner’s claims.”).
    Aside from the constitutional label, Jarbough makes no
    attempt to tie his claim of factual errors to the Due Process Clause.
    At the core of due process are the requirements of notice and a
    meaningful opportunity to be heard. See Mullane v. Cent. Hanover
    Bank & Trust Co., 
    339 U.S. 306
    , 314 (1950). Jarbough does not
    argue that the agency denied him notice, a reasonable opportunity
    to present evidence, disclosure of fact finding or an individualized
    determination on the extraordinary circumstances issue. See
    Mudric v. Attorney General, 
    469 F.3d 94
    , 100 (3d Cir. 2006). His
    only claim is that the IJ and the BIA got the facts wrong, and that
    these erroneous findings of fact deprived him of due process.
    Jarbough has failed to state a colorable violation of the
    8
    Constitution. He has simply taken his naked factual challenges and
    clothed them in the garb of due process. Recasting challenges to
    factual or discretionary determinations as due process or other
    constitutional claims is clearly insufficient to give this Court
    jurisdiction under § 1258(a)(2)(D). Our holding in this respect is
    in accord with the decisions of the other courts of appeals that have
    rejected similar challenges labeled as due process claims. See, e.g.,
    Avendano-Espejo, 
    448 F.3d at 505-06
     (no jurisdiction over
    argument that IJ employed an erroneous legal standard); Saloum,
    
    437 F.3d at 244
     (no jurisdiction over arguments that IJ failed to
    consider certain evidence, incorrectly weighed the evidence and
    reached the wrong outcome); Mehilli, 
    433 F.3d at 94
     (arguments
    that IJ incorrectly weighed the evidence and failed to consider
    certain evidence regarding credibility “fail[ed] to state a colorable
    constitutional claim . . . . [S]uch arguments are not properly viewed
    as constitutional challenges at all, but instead as simple claims that
    substantial evidence did not support the IJ’s credibility finding.”);
    Martinez-Rosas, 
    424 F.3d at 930
     (no jurisdiction over argument
    that IJ misapplied the facts to the applicable law, noting “traditional
    abuse of discretion challenges recast as alleged due process
    violations do not constitute colorable constitutional claims”).
    Section 1158(a)(3) explicitly prohibits judicial review of the
    discretionary authority committed to the Executive Branch under
    § 1158(a)(2)(D). The REAL ID Act of 2005 created a narrow
    exception to this prohibition to permit judicial review over
    constitutional claims and questions of law raised in petitions for
    review. If we were to review a claim merely because it was
    adorned with the label “constitutional claim” or “question of law,”
    we would overstep our authority and frustrate Congress’ statutory
    design. This we cannot do.
    Garden-variety allegations of factual error such as those
    presented here provide no colorable basis for a constitutional
    challenge, and Jarbough’s due process label is insufficient to shield
    him from the strictures of § 1158(a)(3). We therefore lack
    jurisdiction to review the BIA’s extraordinary circumstances
    determination.
    III.
    9
    We do have jurisdiction to review the denial of withholding
    of removal. See Tarrawally, 
    338 F.3d at 185-86
    . Under 
    8 U.S.C. § 1231
    (b)(3)(A), “the Attorney General may not remove an alien
    to a country if the Attorney General decides that the alien’s life or
    freedom would be threatened in that country because of the alien’s
    race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group
    or political opinion.” It is the applicant’s burden to establish the
    threat to life or freedom by a “clear probability.” Tarrawally, 
    338 F.3d at 186
    ; 
    8 C.F.R. § 1208.16
    (b). This standard is satisfied if the
    “evidence establish[es] that it is more likely than not that the alien
    would be subject to persecution on one of the specified grounds.”
    See INS v. Stevic, 
    467 U.S. 407
    , 429-30 (1984). A finding of past
    persecution raises a rebuttable presumption “that the applicant’s
    life or freedom would be threatened in the future . . . .” 
    8 C.F.R. § 1208.16
    (b)(1)(i); see Gabuniya v. Attorney General, 
    463 F.3d 316
    ,
    321 (3d Cir. 2006).
    Whether an applicant “has demonstrated past persecution .
    . . is a factual determination reviewed under the substantial
    evidence standard.” Gao v. Ashcroft, 
    299 F.3d 266
    , 272 (3d Cir.
    2002). Accordingly, “we may decline to uphold the BIA’s findings
    only if the evidence compels a contrary conclusion.” Ahmed v.
    Ashcroft, 
    341 F.3d 214
    , 216 (3d Cir. 2003).
    Jarbough claims that the Syrian government persecuted him
    because he is a Druze, and because it believed he held a pro-Israeli
    political opinion. The IJ rejected these contentions. The BIA
    largely adopted the IJ’s findings and added a few reasons of its
    own. We thus review both the BIA’s decision and the IJ’s opinion
    to the extent the BIA adopted it. See Miah v. Ashcroft, 
    346 F.3d 434
    , 439 (3d Cir. 2003).
    At the outset, Jarbough challenges the IJ’s adverse-
    credibility determination. The Attorney General, however,
    disputes this argument’s premise. See Attorney General Brief 22
    (“[T]he immigration judge did not make an adverse credibility
    finding.”). Contrary to the Attorney General’s assertion, it seems
    clear to us that the IJ made at least a partial adverse-credibility
    determination. See App. 89 (“The Court finds that testimony to be
    incredible.”). But the BIA did not explicitly adopt the IJ’s
    credibility findings, so that portion of her decision is not properly
    before us. Abdulai v. Ashcroft, 
    239 F.3d 542
    , 549 n.2 (3d Cir.
    10
    2001). We will therefore assume Jarbough was credible for
    purposes of this petition.
    Jarbough also challenges the BIA’s determination that his
    troubles in Syria did not rise to the level of persecution.
    Persecution “is an extreme concept that does not include every sort
    of treatment our society regards as offensive.” Fatin v. INS, 
    12 F.3d 1233
    , 1243 (3d Cir. 1993). Abusive treatment and
    harassment, while always deplorable, may not rise to the level of
    persecution.
    Here, Jarbough testified that Syrian intelligence officers
    seized him on two occasions. The first time, the officers placed
    Jarbough in an interrogation room for four hours. They threatened
    him with wires and electrical cables, screamed at him, and jabbed
    his shoulder with their fists. The second time, the officers confined
    Jarbough for two days. They cursed, threatened, kicked, shoved,
    and pushed him. As a result of this abuse, Jarbough suffered
    bruising. He did not go to a doctor, however, as his injuries did not
    “require immediate medical intervention.” App. 258.
    There is no doubt that the officers’ behavior was harassing
    and intimidating. Our society rightly regards their investigative
    tactics as “offensive” and highly improper. See Fatin, 
    12 F.3d at 1243
    . Indeed, under a de novo standard of review, we might well
    disagree with the agency’s conclusion that Jarbough failed to show
    past persecution. But we are not triers of fact, and Congress
    mandates that we leave the agency’s factfinding undisturbed unless
    the “evidence compels a contrary conclusion.” Ahmed, 
    341 F.3d at 216
     (emphasis added). Under that deferential standard of
    review, we cannot say this record compels a finding of past
    persecution for purposes of withholding of removal. As a result,
    we must hold that substantial evidence supports the BIA’s denial
    of withholding of removal.
    IV.
    Jarbough also brings a variety of due process challenges to
    the IJ’s conduct at the hearing. Aliens have a “right to a full and
    fair hearing that allows them a reasonable opportunity to present
    evidence on their behalf.” Cabrera-Perez v. Gonzales, 
    456 F.3d 11
    109, 115 (3d Cir. 2006). To prevail on a due process claim, the
    “alien must show substantial prejudice.” See Singh v. Gonzales,
    
    432 F.3d 533
    , 541 (3d Cir. 2006).
    First, Jarbough challenges the IJ’s refusal to grant a
    continuance. Jarbough asked for a delay to secure the testimony of
    Joshua Landis. In our view, the denial did not prevent Jarbough
    “from reasonably presenting his case.” See Uspango v. Ashcroft,
    
    289 F.3d 226
    , 231 (3d Cir. 2002) (quotations and citations
    omitted). The record contains a lengthy article by Mr. Landis, see
    App. 515-37, and Jarbough does not argue that Landis’ in-court
    testimony would have materially differed from his written work.
    As such, we conclude that the IJ’s denial of a continuance did not
    deprive Jarbough of due process.
    Second, Jarbough argues that the IJ improperly excluded the
    testimony of Norris El-Attrache. Again, we fail to see how this
    exclusion denied Jarbough a “reasonable opportunity to present
    evidence.” See Cabrera-Perez, 456 F.3d at 115. The record
    contains an affidavit by Mr. El-Attrache. Jarbough does not
    explain whether or how El-Attrache would have expanded on this
    account at the hearing. With El-Attrache’s story already in the
    record, the IJ’s exclusion of the testimony was not a due process
    violation. See Romanishyn v. Attorney General, 
    455 F.3d 175
    ,
    185-86 & n.10 (3d Cir. 2006).
    Third, Jarbough contends that the IJ’s hostility toward his
    attorney “curtailed . . . counsel’s ability to ask questions, and . . .
    unduly prevented [Jarbough] from providing testimony.” Jarbough
    Brief 29. It is clear from the record that Jarbough’s counsel
    repeatedly asked Jarbough leading questions and that the IJ
    repeatedly admonished him not to do so. See, e.g., App. 161-62
    (“Why do you insist on testifying for your client?”); id. 81
    (“[P]lease ask questions that are not leading.”).
    Jarbough relies upon one particular exchange in support of
    his argument. After asking Jarbough about the type of cables at the
    Syrian intelligence facility, counsel stated the answer to his own
    question: “They’re electrical cables.” App. 193. The IJ became
    angry and instructed counsel at length about the impropriety of his
    behavior.
    12
    When an attorney poses questions to a friendly witness
    during a direct examination, it is generally improper for the
    attorney to employ leading questions. Cf. Fed. R. Evid. 611(c).
    Leading questions are undesirable in this context because of their
    suggestive power. The “search for the truth,” Nix v. Whiteside,
    
    475 U.S. 157
    , 171 (1986), in our adjudicatory system is best served
    when the finder of fact considers the testimony of the friendly
    witness based upon his or her recollection, not the testimony of
    counsel calling the witness. Suggesting answers to the friendly
    witness may “supply a false memory for the witness – that is, to
    suggest desired answers not in truth based upon real recollection.”
    3 John Henry Wigmore, Evidence § 769, at 154 (Chadbourne Rev.
    1970). See Hall v. Clifton Precision, 
    150 F.R.D. 525
    , 531 (E.D.
    Pa. 1993) (“It should go without saying that lawyers are strictly
    prohibited from making any comments, either on or off the record,
    which might suggest or limit a witness’s answer to an
    unobjectionable question.”).
    In this case, Jarbough’s attorney did not just ask a leading
    question regarding the cables; he announced the expected answer
    to his question. In this instance, it was clear that it was the attorney
    who was testifying. There was nothing erroneous (much less
    unconstitutional) about the IJ’s actions. The IJ’s rebuke did not
    “unduly prevent[] [Jarbough] from providing testimony”; it
    prevented his lawyer from testifying for him.
    In sum, none of the IJ’s rulings or conduct deprived
    Jarbough of the process he was constitutionally due.
    V.
    For these reasons, we will dismiss the petition for review in
    part, and deny it in part.
    13
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 06-1081

Filed Date: 4/11/2007

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 10/13/2015

Authorities (30)

Kulvier Singh v. Alberto R. Gonzalez, Attorney General of ... , 406 F.3d 191 ( 2005 )

Alberto Uspango, Maria Leal and Edgar A. Uspango v. John ... , 289 F.3d 226 ( 2002 )

Gil Bugayong v. Immigration and Naturalization Service , 442 F.3d 67 ( 2006 )

Keith Wai Keung Ng v. Attorney General of the United States , 436 F.3d 392 ( 2006 )

Olufemi Yussef Abdulai v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General ... , 239 F.3d 542 ( 2001 )

United States v. Ruiz , 122 S. Ct. 2450 ( 2002 )

Goran Mudric v. Attorney General of the United States , 469 F.3d 94 ( 2006 )

Ellyana Sukwanputra Yulius Sukwanputra v. Alberto Gonzales, ... , 434 F.3d 627 ( 2006 )

Mehilli v. Gonzales , 433 F.3d 86 ( 2005 )

Yong Wong Park v. Attorney General of the United States , 472 F.3d 66 ( 2006 )

Omar F. Ahmed v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the ... , 341 F.3d 214 ( 2003 )

Tetyana Ignatova v. Alberto R. Gonzales 1 , Attorney ... , 430 F.3d 1209 ( 2005 )

Sulaiman Tarrawally v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General of ... , 338 F.3d 180 ( 2003 )

Roberto Gerardo Avendano-Espejo v. Department of Homeland ... , 448 F.3d 503 ( 2006 )

marie-deloras-jean-aka-marie-dolores-jean-aka-marie-dolores , 435 F.3d 475 ( 2006 )

Gheorghe Vasile v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General of ... , 417 F.3d 766 ( 2005 )

Zaza Gabuniya v. Attorney General of the United States , 463 F.3d 316 ( 2006 )

State of New Jersey v. Department of Health and Human ... , 670 F.2d 1262 ( 1981 )

Maria Martinez-Rosas v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney ... , 424 F.3d 926 ( 2005 )

Elysee v. Gonzales , 437 F.3d 221 ( 2006 )

View All Authorities »