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Fred Hampton — Part 3
Page 105
105 / 251
Nos. 77-1698, 77-1210 & 77-1370 101
were dangerous to the law-abiding citizens of the com-
munity. Also, this case concerns itseif ‘vith the Black
Panther Party as it existed and functioned in 1969 and
what its subsequent direction or conduct nay have been
is immaterial.
Turning then to my views on the disposition of the
various components of this case, as I nave already in-
dicated, I concur in the relatively limited portions of
Judge Swygert’s opinion in which the ‘udgment of the
district court was affirmed.
Judge Swygert’s opinion directs that sanctions should
be imposed, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 37(b)(2), against
the federal defendants and counsel representing them at
the first trial for repeatedly disobeying court orders to
produce documentary material. I do not agree with the
premise. This was a trial in which the judge told the
jury on the first day that it would iast many weeks,
“possibly as much as three months,” bu: which in fact
continued some six times that long. Tne district judge
was on a day-by-day basis aware of tre extreme dif-
ficulties of complying with the every-rook-and-cranny
discovery demands of the plaintiffs, was in an excellent
position to gauge the good faith of the cefense efforts to
comply with those orders, and also knew that these
government files were not at the beck and call of former
employees, were monumental in nature. contained much
information not pertinent to the present lawsuit but
which involved national security and which in any event
was duplicative of that which had aiready been fur-
nished. I cannot believe that this respeczed trial judge,
who for the most part patiently continued presiding over
a trial that was stretching beyona the wildest
preliminary estimates, would have, :r the words of
Judge Swygert, “repeatedly exonerated the federal
defendants,” if in his position to observe there had been
reason to support Judge Swygert’s bas‘s for sanctions
that the federal defendants, other than Neal and their
counsel “deliberately impeded discovery and actively
obstructed .the judicial process.” It flies in the face of
reason to think that the judge would x+t have reacted
promptly to any defense obstructionis: tactics which
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