Opinion ID: 490594
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Government Obligation to Seek Pomeroy's Extradition.

Text: 23 It is well-settled that the legal right to demand [a fugitive's] extradition and the correlative duty to surrender [that person] to the demanding country exist only when created by treaty. Factor v. Laubenheimer, 290 U.S. 276, 287, 54 S.Ct. 191, 193, 78 L.Ed. 315 (1933) (citations omitted). Therefore, to determine the nature and extent of this right we must examine the treaty creating the right. 24 Canada and the United States have an extradition treaty in force which specifically applies to the offense of robbery. Extradition Treaty, Dec. 3, 1971, United States-Canada, Schedule of Offenses, 27 U.S.T. 983, T.I.A.S. No. 8237. Although the Government claims that this treaty, as amplified by the Canadian Extradition Act, prohibited Pomeroy's extradition, we believe that this claim lacks merit. 7 25 Although under Article 7 of the treaty, Canadian officials admittedly had the discretion to deny Pomeroy's surrender, there is nothing in the record to indicate they would have done so had a proper request been made by the Government. Under analogous circumstances, when such an attempt would not have been futile, courts have held that the government had a constitutional duty to make a diligent, good-faith effort to bring [the fugitive] before the [district] court for trial. United States v. McConahy, 505 F.2d 770, 773 (7th Cir.1974) (citing Smith v. Hooey, 393 U.S. 374, 383, 89 S.Ct. 575, 579, 21 L.Ed.2d 607 (1969)); accord United States v. Raffone, 405 F.Supp. 549, 550 (S.D.Fla.1975); see also United States v. Rowbotham, 430 F.Supp. 1254, 1257 (D.Mass.1977) (duty to obtain fugitive was one factor court looked at in dismissing indictment under Fed.R.Crim.P. 48(b)); compare United States v. Hooker, 607 F.2d 286, 289 (9th Cir.1979) (no duty to obtain fugitive where offense was not extraditable under existing treaty), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 905, 100 S.Ct. 1083, 63 L.Ed.2d 321 (1980). Under the facts of this case, we see no reason to depart from this rule. 26