Crime & Federalism

The Federal Judicial Center publishes a lot of really cool publications, and gives them away for free.  One such book, Manual on Recurring Problems in Criminal Trials, is especially helpful.  The format is thus: black letter statement of the law followed by case citations.  The entries look like this:

1. Production of government witness’s statements
The Jencks Act provides that statements of a government witness are discoverable by a defendant after that witness has testified on direct examination at trial.

The court may not compel the government to produce Jencks Act material until after a witness has testified. Some U.S. attorneys will, however, voluntarily produce those materials prior to trial or, at the latest, on the first day of trial.
United States v. Campagnuolo, 592 F.2d 852 (5th Cir. 1979)
United States v. Algie, 667 F.2d 569 (6th Cir. 1982)
United States v. White, 750 F.2d 726 (8th Cir. 1984)

Production of statements covered by the Jencks Act is not automatic. The defendant must invoke the statute at the appropriate time.
United States v. Hanna, 55 F.3d 1456 (9th Cir. 1995)

Also of interest is the book's summary of the federal rules of evidence.  The manual is not as comprehensive of the Assistant United States Attorney's Manual, but it's still very good reading.  Check it out.