Opinion ID: 160557
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Clearly Established Constitutional or Statutory Right

Text: 35 Mr. Reed concedes that the Prosecutor Appellees ordinarily have qualified immunity. He contends, however, that they cannot assert this defense in the instant case because, at the time of his incarceration, it was clearly established, under the Extradition Clause of the Constitution, U.S. Const., art. IV, 2, cl. 2; the federal extradition statute, 18 U.S.C. 3182; and the New Mexico Extradition Act, 1 N.M. Stat. 31-4-10, 31-4-14; that he had a right to certain extradition procedures, such as the filing of a fugitive complaint and an arraignment. He also argues that it was clearly established, under the Equal Protection Clause, that his case should not have been the only [one] in the [district attorney's] office in which no fugitive complaint was filed and no arraignment was held. Aplt's Br. at 8 (No. 99-2215). 36 We reject these arguments and hold that, because Mr. Reed had previously signed a waiver of extradition as a condition of parole, he had neither a constitutional nor a statutory right to specific extradition procedures. Mr. Reed, in essence, admits that he signed the waiver. See Aplt's App. vol. I, doc. 6, at 000199 (Mr. Reed's deposition testimony) (stating that the signature on the waiver appear[ed] to be his). His contention is that he did not sign the waiver voluntarily and therefore the waiver was invalid. See, e.g., Pierson v. Grant, 527 F.2d 161, 164-65 (8th Cir. 1975) (requiring a voluntary and knowing waiver); Hinton v. Moritz, 11 F. Supp. 2d 272, 275 (W.D.N.Y. 1998) (noting that plaintiff did not allege his signing of the waiver was not knowing and voluntary). In his deposition testimony, Mr. Reed explained that he agreed to sign the parole contract only because they were going to leave me in solitary confinement for 15 more years if I didn't put my name on [the waiver]. Aplt's App. vol. I, doc. 6, at 000200 (Mr. Reed's deposition testimony). 37 We are doubtful that Mr. Reed's statement, by itself, establishes coercion. See Forester v. California Adult Authority, 510 F.2d 58, 61 (8th Cir. 1975) (holding that the conditioning of parole on the execution of an extradition waiver is not per se coercion); see also Pierson, 527 F.2d at 164 ([P]arole is an act of grace and . . . boards of parole have wide discretion to impose reasonable conditions in connection with parole. . . . [There must be a] specific showing of how such a condition was coercive as applied in the particular case.) (emphasis added). Mr. Reed argues, however, that there was a coercive element in the execution of the waiver given his rocky relationship with the Ohio prison officials. See generally Ortiz II, 947 P.2d at 86 (discussing Mr. Reed's reputation as an advocate for prisoners' rights and the resentment expressed by Ohio prison officials). But even if we assume that there was coercion, there is no evidence in the record indeed, Mr. Reed does not even allege that the Prosecutor Appellees had or should have had any reason to know that the waiver was signed involuntarily. 2 Because the waiver was facially valid, it was objectively reasonable for the Prosecutor Appellees to rely on the waiver. 3 Cf. United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 919-20 (1984) (holding that the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule should not bar the use of evidence obtained by police officers acting in good faith and with reasonable reliance on a facially valid search warrant).