Court Opinion

ID: 9490489
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:44:59.076697+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:54:07.786646
License: Public Domain

MESKILL, Circuit Judge
(concurring in the result):
I concur in the result.
OSI’s mission is the investigation and institution of denaturalization and deportation proceedings of suspected Nazi war criminals. The issuance of the administrative subpoena here was in furtherance of that mission. The district court correctly concluded that the answers to the questions posed, if incriminating, would be shared with the government interested in prosecuting Balsys, and Balsys likely would be deported to Lithuania.
Thus, in this case the government’s main interest in enforcing its organic laws is in facilitating a foreign prosecution. Therefore, in balancing the government’s interest in domestic law enforcement with Balsys’ interest in the protection the Fifth Amendment privilege affords, Balsys’ interest is the weighty one. The Fifth Amendment protects Balsys’ individual dignity and privacy, protects him against our government’s pursuit of its goals by excessive means, and promotes the values of our justice system.
However, our decision today should not be interpreted as carte blanche for honoring a Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination in all domestic proceedings where the recipient of the subpoena has a well-founded fear of foreign prosecution. Other scenarios may call for a different result. Therefore, rather than determining today that “cooperative internationalism” rises to the level of “cooperative federalism,” and therefore causes concern for government overreaching in cases when a witness fears foreign prosecution and that there is a correlation between real fear of foreign prosecution and government overreaching, as the majority opinion does, our decision should be limited to the facts before us and to OSI proceedings.
I also dissociate myself from that part of the majority opinion entitled “The Conflict Rarely Arises,” because it is speculative and unnecessary to a resolution of this appeal. I also cannot support the discussion entitled “Parallels to Immunity Statutes May Be Enacted.” The role of the judiciary is to decide cases, not to suggest to the Executive and Legislative branches of government ways to solve problems that our decision today may cause in the future. I believe it is better to limit our decision to the facts of this ease and I concur in the result reached with the understanding that courts will interpret our decision in this limited way.