Opinion ID: 2161601
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 28

Heading: Motion to Dismiss for Violation of Federal Dual Prosecution Policy

Text: In an apparent response to the concern expressed by the Supreme Court in Petite v. United States, 361 U.S. 529, 80 S.Ct. 450, 4 L.Ed.2d 490 (1960), over the fairness of multiple prosecutions, the Department of Justice established a policy precluding the initiation or continuation of a federal prosecution following a prior federal or state prosecution based on the same transaction unless there is a compelling interest supporting the subsequent prosecution. See also Rinaldi v. United States, 434 U.S. 22, 98 S.Ct. 81, 54 L.Ed.2d 207 (1977). Believing that the present state prosecution is based on the same transaction for which he was prosecuted in the federal courts, Grandison attempts to invoke the federal Department of Justice policy and contends his due process rights have been violated. Without judging the merits of the policy we do not believe it has any relevancy in this state prosecution and thus find no merit to this contention.