Opinion ID: 1843911
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Extradition Proceedings.

Text: Since Miller's motion for a stay and his motion to continue were both in the form of a motion for continuance, we shall treat them as such in this appeal. Our review of a district court's decision denying a continuance is for abuse of discretion. State v. Slayton, 417 N.W.2d 432, 434 (Iowa 1987). A continuance may be allowed for any cause not growing out of the fault or negligence of the applicant, which satisfies the court that substantial justice will be more nearly obtained. Iowa R.Civ.P. 183(a) (made applicable to criminal cases by Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 20(1)). Miller, as the party requesting the continuance, has the burden of showing that substantial justice will more nearly be obtained if the court grants the request. State v. Ware, 338 N.W.2d 707, 714 (Iowa 1983). Miller contends that the substantial justice standard requires that he be granted a continuance to allow his doctors to testify in person. Miller adds that this additional testimony is necessary to fully explain his condition and the effect on him of interrupting his treatment. Assuming arguendo that the foregoing is accurate, we, nevertheless, conclude that the district court ruling denying a continuance was proper. As a general rule, the defendant's poor health or fear for his safety is not a basis for denying extradition. Lomax v. Cronin, 194 Colo. 523, 575 P.2d 1285 (1978); Grano v. State, 257 A.2d 768 (Del.Super.1969); State v. Devine, 342 So.2d 103 (Fla.App.1977); Statchuk v. Warden, 53 Md.App. 680, 455 A.2d 1000, 1005 (1983); Sheriff v. Randono, 89 Nev. 521, 515 P.2d 1267 (1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 956, 94 S.Ct. 1970, 40 L.Ed.2d 307 (1974); Commonwealth ex rel. Heaton v. Harvey, 193 Pa.Super. 315, 164 A.2d 123 (1960). [I]n extradition proceedings, we are concerned with only two narrow questions: (1) Is petitioner charged with the commission of a crime in the demanding state? (2) Is petitioner a fugitive, i.e., was he present within the demanding state when the crime was committed? Thurman v. State, 223 N.W.2d 248, 249 (Iowa 1974). Since the status of Miller's health was not relevant to the extradition decision, the trial court was correct in denying a continuance for further evidence on that issue. Moreover, as the State correctly notes, if the defendant's health status were to become a primary consideration in making an extradition determination, extradition proceedings would no longer constitute an expeditious means for each state to bring offenders to trial as swiftly as possible in the state where the alleged offense was committed. Michigan v. Doran, 439 U.S. 282, 287, 99 S.Ct. 530, 534, 58 L.Ed.2d 521, 526-27 (1978). Instead, extradition proceedings would quickly degenerate into a battle of medical experts, with the defendant's experts arguing that the defendant could not be moved and the State's experts arguing to the contrary. This sort of legal maneuvering would frustrate the underlying policy objectives of the extradition process.