Booth v. State

I respectfully dissent. The district court's ruling was a reasonable application of the appropriate rule.

Judge Miller ruled that the defendant had not made a sufficient showing that the requested records were material to his defense:

The defense has made no showing that the records sought contain evidence relevant to Mr. Booth's defense. The court cannot compel production based on conjecture as to what might exist in these records.

This ruling accurately stated the appropriate legal standard. Alaska Criminal Rule 16(b)(7) provides:

Upon a reasonable request showing materiality to the preparation…