Source: http://openjurist.org/557/f2d/912/united-states-v-kenaan
Timestamp: 2017-01-18 00:53:20
Document Index: 122713197

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 2241', '§ 1', '§ 2241']

557 F2d 912 United States v. Kenaan | OpenJurist
557 F. 2d 912 - United States v. Kenaan HomeFederal Reporter, Second Series 557 F.2d.
557 F2d 912 United States v. Kenaan 557 F.2d 912
UNITED STATES of America, Appellant,v.Elias KENAAN, Defendant, Appellee.
No. 77-1014.
Argued April 5, 1977.Decided July 7, 1977.
Although the District Court relied on recent decisions in the Second and Third Circuits, holding the Agreement to be the exclusive means of prisoner transfer for prosecution,7 we decline to follow those precedents. Our view of the relationship between the Agreement and the writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum more closely accords with that expressed by the Fifth Circuit in United States v. Scallion, supra note 5, and set forth in United States v. Mauro, supra note 5 (Mansfield, J., dissenting). See also Adams v. United States, 423 F.Supp. 578, 581 (E.D.N.Y.1976).
A federal writ of habeas corpus under § 2241 is by contrast a federal court order, commanding the presentation of a prisoner for prosecution or as a witness in a federal court. It is judicially controlled by the federal district court, which may issue it for the production of a prisoner when "it is necessary to bring him into court to testify or for trial." 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(5). Upon receipt of such a writ, state authorities deliver the prisoner in accordance with its terms and in compliance with § 2241.8 If the court which issued the writ is satisfied that the prisoner's presence is no longer needed or will not be required temporarily, as occurred in this case following Kenaan's arraignment and his presentation of a guilty plea, it may order the prisoner returned to state custody.
Moreover, the construction urged by Kenaan would impliedly repeal or modify the statute establishing the writ, § 2241(c)(5), with no mention whatever of the slightest congressional intent so to do in the legislative history of the Agreement. That legislative history is totally silent respecting any effect of the Agreement on traditional federal writ practice.11 Where two seemingly inconsistent acts can reasonably stand together, a court must interpret them in a manner which gives harmonious operation and effect to both, in the absence of clear and unambiguous expression of Congressional intent to the contrary. Morton v. Mancari, 417 U.S. 535, 549-551, 94 S.Ct. 2474, 41 L.Ed.2d 290 (1973), United States v. Borden Co., 308 U.S. 188, 198, 60 S.Ct. 182, 84 L.Ed. 181 (1939). The presumption against implied repeal is even stronger here in view of the long history of the writ as a part of our legal framework under common law and statute. As stated in United States v. Mauro, supra note 5, at 597 (Mansfield, J., dissenting):
The two statutes do not conflict with one another. When they are so easily reconcilable, it is error, in my view, to hold in effect that § 2241 is implicitly repealed in part by the Act. See Rosencrans v. United States, 165 U.S. 257, 17 S.Ct. 302, 41 L.Ed. 708 (1897).
Finally, with respect to legislative intent, the apparent conflict between the Agreement and the writ centers about the particular use of the writ involved here, i. e., to produce a prisoner for prosecution. That the writ may be used for production of a prisoner as a witness, as specifically provided for in § 2241, is not, however, immaterial to consideration of congressional intent. Thus, if in enacting the Agreement Congress had intended any modification or amendment of § 2241 it would have necessarily intended to excise only the words "or for trial" from § 2241(c)(5). A total repeal would have discarded the provision for production as witnesses for no apparent reason.12 The "conflict" between the detainer and the writ, being more apparent than real, constitutes no evidence of congressional intent to repeal § 2241, in whole or in part. On the contrary, § 2241 remains viable, in our view, in its entirety.
Pub.L.No. 91-538, §§ 1-8, 84 Stat. 1397 (1970), reprinted in 18 U.S.C.A.App. at 207 (West Supp.1976); Act of Jan. 7, 1966, ch. 892, Mass. Acts, reprinted in Mass.Ann.Laws, special, at 603 (Michie/Law. Co-op 1967)
The opinion is reported at 422 F.Supp. 226
The circumstances here resemble those in United States v. Mauro, 544 F.2d 588 (2d Cir. 1976) and United States v. Scallion, 548 F.2d 1168 (5th Cir. 1977) in that no separate detainer was lodged. Contra, United States v. Cyphers, Nos. 76-1131, 76-1160, 556 F.2d 630 (2d Cir. 1977), United States v. Ford, 550 F.2d 732 (2d Cir. 1977), and United States v. Sorrell, 413 F.Supp. 138 (E.D.Pa.1976)
See, e. g., United States v. Sorrell, supra note 5, United States v. Mauro, supra note 5, aff'g 414 F.Supp. 358 (E.D.N.Y.1976), and U. S. ex rel. Esola v. Groomes, 520 F.2d 830 (3d Cir. 1975). We note that the latter case does not involve transfer from state to federal custody, but the reverse situation which is similar to that in Smith v. Hooey, 393 U.S. 374, 89 S.Ct. 575, 21 L.Ed.2d 607 (1969) and in Dickey v. Florida, 398 U.S. 30, 90 S.Ct. 1564, 26 L.Ed.2d 26 (1970), the only cases cited in the House or Senate Judiciary Committee Reports on the Agreement bill. See H.R.Rep.No.91-1018, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 2 (1970); S.Rep.No.91-1356, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 2 (1970), reprinted in (1970) U.S.Code Cong. & Ad.News, 4864. Both deal with the primary purpose of Article IV, i. e., the elimination of abuses of detainers by states. Neither Smith nor Dickey mentions any problems associated with the use of writs of habeas corpus ad prosequendum by federal prosecutors. See United States v. Scallion, supra note 5, at 1172-1173. The Sixth Circuit has recently concluded that the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum satisfies both requirements of Article IV(a) of the Agreement, i. e., that a detainer be lodged and that a written request for temporary custody be made. United States v. Roberts, 548 F.2d 665, 670 (6th Cir. 1977). However, that court did not discuss the impact of that view on the continued viability of 28 U.S.C. § 2241, because its judgment rested on the pre-trial detainee status of one appellant
It appears that no state has ever refused to honor the writ and the Supreme Court has found it unnecessary to decide whether the Supremacy Clause requires the states' obedience. Carbo v. United States, 364 U.S. 611, 81 S.Ct. 338, 5 L.Ed.2d 329 (1961). In the unlikely event of such a confrontation, we are confident that the writ would be held enforcible. See United States v. Mauro, supra note 5, at 596 n.1 (Mansfield, J., dissenting) and United States v. Scallion, supra note 5, at 1173