Opinion ID: 437633
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Need For Flexibility

Text: 30 My acceptance of the rigid historicism of the opinion announcing the judgment of the court is also hindered by my belief that, from a perspective of judicial administration, the flexibility and creativity exhibited by the magistrate in mediating the vexing financial problems of Pennsylvania and the United States is precisely what we should be encouraging. If the dead hand of precedent did not cabin my freedom of action, I would applaud the actions of the magistrate here. 31 It is important to explain why today's holding may hamper the ability of the federal courts to find facts accurately, particularly in prisoners' rights suits under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983, which, for obvious reasons, frequently require invocation of the otherwise unusual writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum. Cf. Harris v. Nelson, 394 U.S. 286, 89 S.Ct. 1082, 22 L.Ed.2d 281 (1969) (expanding fact finding capacity of federal courts via section 1651 in habeas corpus proceeding brought by prisoner). Many such suits involve baseless claims and in many cases ad testificandums will be unnecessary. But where a district court or magistrate determines that the testimony of a state prisoner actually would assist a court or jury in its fact finding capacity, it should not be deterred from obtaining the prisoner because the state is unable to pay the full costs of witness production and because the similarly strapped Marshals Service is itself hard pressed to shoulder any such burden. 32 It may be said, of course, that the state assumes the costs of producing those it has chosen to incarcerate when federal authorities determine that temporary release of the prisoner is required in order to vindicate federal rights. This court has recognized, however, that because states have compelling interests in incarcerating dangerous persons, the federal courts should consider the costs of production on a custodian before issuing writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum. See Jerry v. Francisco, 632 F.2d 252 (3d Cir.1980) (per curiam). Yet, given (1) the requirement of Jerry v. Francisco that courts consider the costs to the state before issuing an ad testificandum; (2) the principle that issuance of an ad testificandum writ lies in the discretion of the trial court; and (3) financial realities, we fear that, faced with a holding that the court cannot exercise its discretion to order the Marshals and the state to share the costs of transportation, there may be cases in which the district courts may be impelled to exercise their discretion to deny ad testificandum writs when a state is short of funds. Such denials will, at least in some instances, impair the vindication of civil rights.