Court Opinion

ID: 9456773
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 20:02:04.425052+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:35:06.004453
License: Public Domain

BRIGHT, Circuit Judge
(concurring).
I concur in the result. The district court afforded what relief it could in response to appellant Tanner’s complaints. Tanner’s efforts to obtain further relief through habeas corpus must be addressed to the United States District Court in the State of Kansas, where he is presently incarcerated. However, I disagree with the majority’s comments on the merits of Tanner’s petition for reasons stated herein.
At the time of Tanner’s parole violation, he faced a maximum of six and one-half years of service under his 1962 convictions and sentences. Judge Collin-son, in pronouncing sentence in 1967 for the Dyer Act violation, which occurred in Missouri, directed that this sentence run concurrently with the earlier sentences. In doing so, the district court expressed an intent that the Parole Board, within limits, control the time to be served by Tanner. That limit, of course, was the six and one-half years remaining to be served on Tanner’s prior sentences.
Under the rule of Zerbst v. Kidwell, 304 U.S. 359 (1938), the Board of Parole, not the district court, generally determines whether the balance of the first sentence shall be served consecutively with the second sentence. See Robinson v. Willingham, 369 F.2d 688 (10th Cir. 1966); Jefferson v. Willingham, 366 F.2d 353 (10th Cir. 1966), cert. denied, 385 U.S. 1018, 87 S.Ct. 744, 17 L.Ed.2d 554 (1967); Woykovsky v. Chappell, 1119 U.S.App.D.C. 8, 336 F.2d 927 (1964), cert. denied, 380 U.S. 916, 85 S.Ct. 728, 13 L.Ed.2d 705 (1965); Johnson v. Wilkinson, 279 F.2d 683 (5th Cir. 1960). Notwithstanding this rule, the district court retains its inherent power to determine the length of the sentence for the particular crime before it. In sentencing Tanner to five years on the Dyer Act conviction, Judge Collinson expected the Board of Parole to execute its parole violator’s warrant against Tanner so that the sentences could be served concurrently. Petitioner’s unchallenged claim on this appeal is that the chief parole officer for the Western District of Missouri acquiesced “to the concurrency” of the sentences. In his memorandum opinion granting Tanner a reduction of sentence, Judge Collinson stated:
“This Court imposed a five year sentence, and intended for that sentence to run concurrently with a previous federal sentence on which petitioner had six and a half years left to do. It now appears certain that the Board of Parole is not going to execute the detainer [parole violator’s warrant] still pending against Tanner. If they had done so, the two sentences would have run concurrently. *126However, the warrant is still outstanding, and an exhibit submitted by-Tanner indicates that the Board does not intend to execute that warrant until the sentence imposed by this Court is fully served.
* * * * * *
The five year sentence imposed by this Court was imposed in that length because we assumed that the warrant would be executed. It now appears that this assumption was mistaken, and that Tanner will be required to do more time than we intended for him to serve when sentence was imposed. It is just under the circumstances that his motion to reduce sentence, which was received by this Court on May 14, 1969, should be granted.”
Notwithstanding this reduction in sentence, petitioner may be compelled to serve a total of six and one-half years under the prior sentences, plus an additional twenty-seven months which Tanner had already served upon his 1967 Dyer Act conviction. Thus, in spite of the district court’s clearly expressed intent in sentencing Tanner on the Dyer Act conviction, Tanner may be required to serve a much longer period of time than contemplated by the district court.
In my view, Tanner’s petition raises serious questions of due process. I do not agree with the majority that Moore v. Smith, 412 F.2d 720 (7th Cir. 1969), resolves these questions adversely to the petitioner. That ease is factually distinguishable from the circumstances presented here. There, the sentencing judge had not been apprised of the pendency of any parole violator’s warrant and, in any event, he sentenced the defendant to a minimal term on the charge. In upholding the district court’s denial of habeas corpus relief, the Seventh Circuit observed:
“It is true that the sentencing judge, if apprised of the pendency of the violator’s warrant, could have chosen to shorten the new sentence to take account of the balance of the prior sentence remaining to be served. * * * Indeed, the record does not disclose whether the sentencing judge was even aware of the fact that this was petitioner’s second offense, a fact which might have weighed against petitioner in the sentencing process rather than in his favor.
* * * The record reveals no attempt by petitioner to bring the existence of the warrant to the attention of the sentencing court by way of motion for reduction of sentence, and if such a motion was made, that would in itself undercut petitioner’s claim of prejudice.” 412 F.2d at 724.
As yet, petitioner has not in fact served any time in excess of the six and one-half years owed upon his 1962 convictions. It is, of course, possible that the Board of Parole may afford him administrative relief. Upon seeking federal habeas corpus relief from a United States District Court for the District of Kansas, where he is now incarcerated, the habeas court may fashion appropriate relief to assure petitioner that he will not be required to serve more than six and one-half years imprisonment, less appropriate allowances.
Accordingly, I would affirm only on the issue of jurisdiction. I think it inappropriate for this court to comment further upon the merits of petitioner’s allegations.
I add this caveat. The judicial power of the federal courts extends to restrict administrative prerogatives which encroach upon a federal court’s exercise of its sentencing functions. I believe that the Board of Parole should cooperate with the sentencing court in fixing the maximum term of imprisonment to be served by parole violators such as petitioner Tanner. Such cooperation will avoid the misunderstanding and controversy such as have arisen in the instant case.