Opinion ID: 486570
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: pretrial diversion

Text: 21 Prior to his indictment, defendant unsuccessfully requested pretrial diversion and was informed that the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee did not recognize pretrial diversion. Defendant then filed a Petition for Review of Denial of Pretrial Diversion with the district court, which was denied. 22 Defendant requests judicial review of the prosecution's denial of pretrial diversion. For support of this position, Nathan cites United States v. Hicks, 693 F.2d 32, 33 (5th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1220, 103 S.Ct. 1226, 75 L.Ed.2d 461 (1983). The Hicks court held that there should be a hearing on alleged violations by the defendant of the diversion agreement in order to make sure that the government had lived up to its side of the bargain. Id. We do not find this case to be authority for defendant's position here. Nathan argues that if some court review of a prosecutor's refusal to grant pretrial diversion is not allowed, then a prosecutor might arbitrarily or discriminatorily refuse diversion. 23 The government asserts, on the other hand, that court review of a prosecutor's decision whether or not to prosecute would be an unconstitutional breach of the separation of powers between the judicial and executive branches of government, an impermissible intrusion into the prosecutor's discretionary function. United States v. Renfro, 620 F.2d 569, 574 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 902, 101 S.Ct. 274, 66 L.Ed.2d 133 (1980); United States v. Dangler, 556 F.Supp. 195, 198 (N.D.Ohio 1983). In Hicks, it was held that the defendant had no right to pretrial diversion. Hicks, 693 F.2d at 34. 24 There is no basis in this case for judicial interference with the prosecutor's discretion and authority to decide whether or not to pursue pretrial diversion. The defendant's motion was accordingly properly denied.