Court Opinion

ID: 9754530
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 20:03:10.995429+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:54.402733
License: Public Domain

ZAPPALA, Justice,
dissenting.
I dissent. This Court has once again abdicated its responsibility in applying our own court-made rules. So as to avoid following the clear and unambiguous mandate of Rule 1100, the majority has seen fit to once again redraft the Rule by interpretation rather than by amendment. This time, the majority has done so through a new definition of the word “diligence”.
As strange as it may seem, a distinguished “author” by the name of Noah Webster has defined “diligence” as “the attention and care legally expected or required of a person.” Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 355 (1984). This Court now defines “diligence” to encompass ineptitude, incompetence and slovenliness to reach a desired result.
In the majority’s haste to justify the result, it has abdicated its responsibility in applying our court-made rule. The action of the Appellee is irrelevant for the blame for the discharge must be placed upon the Commonwealth, not this Court, for the ineptitude of its prosecuting officers in misapplying the law. Specifically, under the Uniform Extradition Act, the Act of July 9, 1976, P.L. 586, No. 142, § 2, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9121 et seq., the Commonwealth may request the return of a person charged in this Commonwealth with a crime if that person is imprisoned or is being held for trial *465in another state provided that the Commonwealth agrees to return that person as soon as the prosecution in this Commonwealth is terminated. 42 Pa.C.S. § 9126. As the authorities in Virginia correctly advised the Commonwealth in this case, the Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act, Act of July 9, 1976, P.L. 586, No. 142, § 2, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9101, is applicable only to those persons who are serving terms of imprisonment. Since the Appellee was not imprisoned, the Virginia authorities acted correctly in not complying with the Commonwealth’s request. Therefore, the delay in being brought to trial was not caused by the Appellee but by the ineptitude and incompetence of the Commonwealth in failing to pursue the Appellee under the proper statute.
Accordingly, now even when the Commonwealth is inept, that ineptitude is attributable to a defendant. With this interpretation of Rule 1100 I cannot agree. (See, Commonwealth v. Monosky, 511 Pa. 148, 511 A.2d 1346 (1986), Zappala, J. dissenting; Commonwealth v. Terfinko, 504 Pa. 385, 474 A.2d 275 (1984), Zappala, J. dissenting; Commonwealth v. Crowley, 502 Pa. 393, 466 A.2d 1009 (1983), Zappala, J. dissenting; Commonwealth v. Green, 503 Pa. 278, 469 A.2d 552 (1983), Zappala, J. dissenting; Commonwealth v. Manley, 503 Pa. 482, 469 A.2d 1042 (1983), Zappala, J. dissenting; and Commonwealth v. Guldin, 502 Pa. 66, 463 A.2d 1011 (1983), Zappala, J. dissenting.