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SCHEINFAIN v. ALDREDGE, sheriff, et al.

Supreme Court of Georgia1941-01-16No. No. 13503
191 Ga. 479

Summary

Holding. The court affirmed the denial of habeas corpus relief, holding that a person held in custody under a facially regular executive extradition warrant, whether or not they entered the state voluntarily, may be extradited when the governor's warrant is based on a valid requisition and substantially charges an offense under the demanding state's laws.

A person convicted in Massachusetts state court for carnal abuse was serving his federal sentence in an Atlanta penitentiary when the Massachusetts governor requisitioned his arrest and return to Massachusetts under the extradition process. The petitioner sought habeas corpus relief, arguing he should not be treated as a fugitive since he entered Georgia involuntarily to serve a federal sentence, not as a fugitive fleeing state justice. The court held that a person brought into a state to serve a sentence remains subject to extradition under a lawful gubernatorial warrant, regardless of how they arrived in the state.

The petitioner also challenged the extradition warrant on several grounds, including that his counsel needed more time to contest the legality of the Massachusetts requisition, that a discrepancy existed between the crime named in the conviction record and in the warrant, and that being convicted federally barred state prosecution. The court rejected each argument, finding the warrant regular on its face and placing the burden on the petitioner to show why it should not be executed. The court further held that the same conduct may be prosecuted under both federal and state law without violating any protection against double punishment.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether a person brought involuntarily into a state to serve a sentence qualifies as a fugitive from justice subject to extradition
  • Whether minor discrepancies between the crime designation in a conviction record and in an extradition warrant void the warrant
  • Whether a prior federal conviction for the same conduct bars state prosecution and extradition
  • Whether procedural defects in an extradition warrant, or the governor's customary practice of granting hearings, affect the warrant's validity

Procedural posture

The petitioner sought habeas corpus relief in Georgia state court after being arrested on an extradition warrant issued by the Georgia governor at the requisition of the Massachusetts governor.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Atkinson, Presiding Justice.

1. “A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.” U. S. constitution, art. 4, see. 2, par. 2 (Code, § 1-403). “It is the duty of the Governor, under his warrant, to cause to be arrested and delivered up to the proper officers of any other State of the United States any fugitive from justice from said State, upon demand made of him by the Executive of such other State in the manner prescribed by the laws and constitution of the United States.” Code, § 44-302. Cf. Appendix, 82 Ga. 809; Lascelles v. State, 90 Ga. 347, 370 (16 S. E. 945, 35 Am. St. R. 216).

2. The petitioner for habeas corpus on a charge of violating a law of Massachusetts was arrested in New Hampshire and brought back to Massachusetts for trial. Before trial he was convicted in the Federal court of Massachusetts, on a charge of violating the Federal law. After such conviction he was tried in the State court of Massachusetts on the charge for which he had been arrested in New Hampshire. After the conviction in the State of Massachusetts he was sent to the Federal penitentiary in Atlanta. The Governor of Massachusetts made requisition upon the Governor of Georgia for the arrest and detention of the petitioner to be returned to the State of Massachusetts to serve the sentence imposed upon him by the State court of Massachusetts. The Governor of Georgia honored the requisition of the Governor of Massachusetts, and issued his warrant for the arrest of the petitioner. At the time of discharge of the petitioner by the officers of the Federal penitentiary in Atlanta, after service of his term, the sheriff arrested the petitioner on the warrant of the Governor of Georgia to be turned over to the officer from the State of Massachusetts. Under these facts the petitioner, brought into Georgia after his conviction in the State of Massachusetts for the purpose of serving the sentence imposed by the Federal court, and consequently not coming into Georgia from Massachusetts voluntarily, was nevertheless a fugitive from justice. Kelly v. Mangum,, 145 Ga. 57 (88 S. E. 556); Hart v. Mangum, 146 Ga. 497 (91 S. E. 543) ; Johnson v. Lowry, 183 Ga. 207 (188 S. E. 23); Brown v. Lowry, 185 Ga. 539 (195 S. E. 759); Beavers v. Lowry, 186 Ga. 557 (198 S. E. 692). He .was not entitled to discharge from custody by a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that he did not voluntarily come into the State of Georgia as a fugitive.

3. On the return day of the writ of habeas corpus a motion was made by the petitioner to postpone the hearing, on the grounds: (a) “Plaintiffs counsel was physically unable to try said cause.” (b) “Because plaintiff wished to attack the legality and sufficiency of any requisition issued by the Executive of the State of Massachusetts and of any supporting documents, and he had been unable to procure the necessary information or documents in the two days to properly prepare his attack.” It does not appear that any evidence was offered on the question of a continuance, and the judge refused to postpone the hearing. No such abuse of discretion appears as will authorize a reversal of the judgment. Blackwell v. Jennings, 128 Ga. 264 (57 S. E. 484); Dawson v. Smith, 150 Ga. 350, 352 (103 S. E. 846, 847).

4. It appeared at the trial that the respondent holds the petitioner in custody under an executive warrant based upon an extradition proceeding, and that the warrant is regular on its face. In these circumstances the burden is upon thepetitioner to show some valid and sufficient reason why the warrant should not be executed. The presumption is that the Governor has complied with the constitution and the law, and this presumption continues until the contrary appears. See Code, §§ 44-302, 44-305; Barranger v. Baum, 103 Ga. 465 (5, 6) (30 S. E. 524, 68 Am. St. R. 113); Blackwell v. Jennings, supra; Dawson v. Smith, 150 Ga. 352 (2), supra. The same principle was recognized in Dawson v. Smith, 150 Ga. 350, supra, but a different result was reached on account of difference in the facts as indicated in division 4 of the opinion.

5. “The question as to whether or not the alleged fugitive from the justice of another State is charged with a crime is one of law, and is always open upon the face of the papers to judicial inquiry. But if the indictment which forms the basis of the extradition proceedings substantially charges a crime in conformity to the laws of the demanding State, the prisoner should not be released, however defective such indictment might be either at common law, or under the well-known rules of criminal procedure.” Barranger v. Baum, 103 Ga. 465 (supra).

{a) The fact that it was customary for the Governor of Georgia to grant hearings on extraditions when requested, and that he would have done so in the instant case had he known of plaintiff’s desire to contest the extradition, was insufficient to invalidate the extradition warrant of the Governor of Georgia.

(5) Designation of the alleged offense in the mittimus as “carnal abuse,” and that plaintiff who had been convicted was to be extradited to serve a fifteen to twenty-year: sentence, whereas the Governor’s warrant stated that plaintiff was to be extradited to stand trial for the offense of “rape of child,” was insufficient to void the extradition warrant on the grounds, as contended, that petitioner was to be extradited under a different charge and for a purpose different from that specified in the supporting documents. Neither does it appear by the record in this case that there was no such offense under the laws of Massachusetts as “carnal abuse.” Consequently there is no merit in the contention that the extradition warrant was void on that ground.

6. The court did not err in failing to rule on the motion to compel McElroy as agent of the State of Massachusetts to file an answer.

7. The same transaction may constitute a crime under the laws of the United States and also under the laws of a State. 22 C. J. S. 448, 450, § 296(d); Cooley v. State, 152 Ga. 469 (110 S. E. 449). Accordingly, a conviction in a Federal court for violating the white-slave law is no bar to punishment for “carnal abuse” under a State statute, even though both offenses are based on the same transaction.

8. On application of the principles stated above, the judge did not err, under the facts, in refusing to discharge the prisoner on habeas corpus. Judgment affirmed.

All the Justices concur.