LAW.coLAW.co

STATE v. JOSEPH LARKIN, ALSO KNOWN AS MICHAEL J. LARKIN

Minnesota Supreme Court1959-07-24No. No. 37,814
256 Minn. 31498 N.W.2d 70

Summary

Holding. The writ of mandamus is denied. A defendant who leaves a state's jurisdiction before arrest and commits crimes resulting in imprisonment in another sovereign's penal institution may not invoke the constitutional right to speedy trial to compel immediate trial during that outside confinement; trial may be deferred until his release from the other sovereign's custody.

Joseph Larkin was charged in Minnesota with unauthorized use of an automobile in January 1958, but before arrest he fled the state and committed a federal crime, resulting in his imprisonment at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. While serving his federal sentence, Minnesota placed a detainer on him. Larkin obtained permission from the federal government to return to Minnesota for trial and moved the district court to try him immediately, claiming the delay violated his right to a speedy trial. The district court denied his motion, stating prosecution would occur after his federal release.

Larkin petitioned for a writ of mandamus to compel an immediate trial. The court examined whether a defendant's constitutional right to speedy trial applies when he has voluntarily absented himself from state jurisdiction and committed crimes resulting in confinement in another sovereign's prison system. The court found that while the speedy trial right generally protects accused persons even if already imprisoned under a prior conviction, this protection does not extend to defendants who, through their own actions, have made trial impossible by leaving the jurisdiction and committing additional crimes elsewhere.

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

Key issues

  • Right to speedy trial when defendant is imprisoned in another sovereign's penal institution
  • Whether speedy trial right applies when defendant voluntarily absents himself from jurisdiction
  • Whether state must seek defendant's return from federal custody to honor speedy trial guarantee

Procedural posture

Defendant petitioned for a writ of mandamus after the district court denied his motion for immediate trial while he was incarcerated in federal prison.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Dell, Chief Justice.

On January 2, 1958, a complaint was filed in Hennepin County charging defendant with the crime of using an automobile without the owner’s permission in violation of M. S. A. 168.49, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Before the warrant could be served and defendant arrested, he left the state and was subsequently sentenced to and imprisoned in the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. On February 20, 1958, a copy of the warrant was mailed to the warden of the penitentiary to be placed in his files as a detainer so that upon the expiration of defendant’s Federal sentence he could be returned to Minnesota for further proceedings. In August 1958 defendant received permission from the office of the Attorney General of the United States to appear for trial in Minnesota. He then moved the District Court of Hennepin County to grant him a trial immediately. The motion was denied on the basis of the county attorney’s statement that defendant would be prosecuted after his release from prison.

Defendant now petitions this court for a writ of mandamus ordering said district court to grant him an immediate trial or in the alternative to discharge the warrant. His claim is that unless the writ is granted he will be deprived of his constitutional right to a speedy trial. That is the sole issue before us.

The general rule followed in the majority of the states and in the Federal courts is that under constitutional and statutory provisions designed to guarantee a speedy trial, a sovereign may not deprive an accused person of that right even though he is already confined in one of the sovereign’s penal institutions under a prior conviction and sentence. This right is for the protection of the accused and, therefore, it may be waived. The rule does not extend, however, to cases where the accused, by his own act, makes his trial impossible by absenting himself from the sovereign’s jurisdiction and by engaging in other crimes which result in his confinement in another sovereign’s prison system. In the instant case defendant left the State of Minnesota be fore he could be arrested and tried and committed a crime for which he was sentenced to and confined in the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth. This state could not compel the Federal government to deliver him up for trial; neither is it required to make application therefor notwithstanding the fact that permission would be granted if it were sought. He is, of course, entitled to his day in court which will not be denied to him. It will be time enough for that, however, when he is released from Federal custody.

The writ is denied.

See, Minn. Const, art. 1, § 6; M. S. A. 628.26.

See, Annotation, 118 A. L. R. 1037.

State v. McTague, 173 Minn. 153, 216 N. W. 787.

Nolan v. United States (8 Cir.) 163 F. (2d) 768, certiorari denied, 333 U. S. 846, 68 S. Ct. 649, 92 L. ed. 1130; In re Yager’s Petition (E. D. Ky.) 138 F. Supp. 717; United States v. Jackson (E. D. Ky.) 134 F. Supp. 872; Accardo v. State, 39 Ala. App. 453, 102 So. (2d) 913; In re Douglas, 54 Ariz. 332, 95 P. (2d) 560; Lee v. State, 185 Ark. 253, 47 S. W. (2d) 11; In re Schechtel, 103 Colo. 77, 82 P. (2d) 762, 118 A. L. R. 1032; People v. Brandfon, 4 App. Div. (2d) 679, 163 N. Y. S. (2d) 1007, reversing 4 Misc. (2d) 466, 157 N. Y. S. (2d) 864; People v. Peters, 198 Misc. 956, 101 N. Y. S. (2d) 755; Traxler v. State, 96 Okl. Cr. 231, 251 P. (2d) 815; Thompson v. State, 96 Okl. Cr. 8, 247 P. (2d) 535; Raine v. State, 143 Tenn. 168, 226 S. W. 189. Contra, Taylor v. United States, 99 App. D. C. 183, 238 F. (2d) 259; Kirby v. Warden of Maryland Penitentiary, 214 Md. 600, 133 A. (2d) 421; but see, Baker v. Marbury, 216 Md. 572, 141 A. (2d) 523; and see, State v. Kubus, 243 Minn. 379, 68 N. W. (2d) 217, certiorari denied, 349 U. S. 959, 75 S. Ct. 889, 99 L. ed. 1282; Nolly v. State (Ala. App.) 43 So. (2d) 841; People v. South, 122 Cal. App. 505, 10 P. (2d) 109; Perry v. Gwartney, 162 Kan. 607, 178 P. (2d) 185.

Ponzi v. Fessenden, 258 U. S. 254, 42 S. Ct. 309, 66 L. ed. 607.

See footnote 4.