United States v. Leroy Sorrell, 562 F.2d 227, 3rd Cir. (1977)

562 F.
2d 227
UNITED STATES of America, Appellant,

v.
Leroy SORRELL.
No. 76-1647.
United States Court of Appeals,

Third Circuit.
Argued Nov. 18, 1976.
Reargued En Banc May 12, 1977.
Decided Aug. 22, 1977.
David W. Marston, U. S. Atty., Walter S. Batty, Jr., Asst. U. S. Atty.,

Chief, Appellate Section, Edward S. G. Dennis, Jr., Asst. U. S. Atty.,
Philadelphia, Pa., for appellant.
David A. Garfunkel, Philadelphia, Pa., Douglas Riblet, Defender Ass'n of
Philadelphia, for appellee.
Argued Nov. 18, 1976 before VAN DUSEN and ALDISERT, Circuit
Judges, and BROTMAN, District Judge.
Reargued en banc May 12, 1977 before SEITZ, Chief Judge, and VAN
DUSEN, ALDISERT, ADAMS, GIBBONS, ROSENN, HUNTER, WEIS
and GARTH, Circuit Judges.
OPINION OF THE COURT
VAN DUSEN, Circuit Judge.
I.
This is an appeal by the United States from an order of the district court which
dismissed an indictment against the defendant because of the Government's
failure to comply with the Interstate Agreement on Detainers, 18 U.S.C.App. p.
230 (1977 Supp.) (the Detainer Agreement). We affirm for the reasons stated
below.
On March 23, 1976, an Eastern District of Pennsylvania grand jury returned an

indictment against Leroy Sorrell for unlawful possession of a firearm.1 Sorrell
was, at the time of his indictment, in the custody of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, Pennsylvania,
serving a state prison sentence of one to ten years. On March 23, 1976, the
district court issued a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum,2 directing the
United States Marshal and the Warden of Graterford Prison to produce the
defendant at the United States Court House, Philadelphia, on April 2, 1976, for
arraignment. On April 2, 1976, the defendant was arraigned at the above
United States Court House and then returned to Graterford3 by the United
States Marshal. A second time, on April 19, 1976, Sorrell was brought before
the district court for trial pursuant to a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum
and was returned to Graterford by the United States Marshal after the trial had
been continued on the request of defense counsel. Finally, the defendant was
removed from state to federal custody for a third time on April 26, 1976,
pursuant to such a writ when the case was again scheduled for trial. On this last
date, Sorrell filed a motion to dismiss the indictment pursuant to Article IV(e)
of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers, 18 U.S.C.App. p. 232 (1977 Supp.);
19 P.S. 1431 et seq.4 After oral argument on the motion, the district court
filed an opinion5 and order granting the defendant's motion and dismissing the
criminal indictment. The United States appealed from that final judgment. By a
November 4, 1976, judgment order, this court affirmed.
After the filing of a petition for rehearing en banc on January 11, 1977, the
judgment order was vacated by an order filed January 27, 1977, and rehearing
en banc was scheduled.
II.
4
The basic statutory framework of the Detainer Agreement has been summarized
in United States ex rel. Esola v. Groomes, 520 F.2d 830, 833-34 (3d Cir. 1975),
and need not be described here. See also United States v. Ford, 550 F.2d 732,
737-41 (2d Cir. 1977). However, the legislative purpose in adopting this statute
is specifically set forth in Article I, which is designed "(t)o implement the right
to a speedy trial and to minimize the interference with a prisoner's treatment and
rehabilitation," Esola, supra at 833, as follows:"The party States find that
charges outstanding against a prisoner, detainers based on untried indictments,
informations, or complaints and difficulties in securing speedy trial of persons
already incarcerated in other jurisdictions, produce uncertainties which obstruct
programs of prisoner treatment and rehabilitation. Accordingly, it is the policy
of the party States and the purpose of this agreement to encourage the
expeditious and orderly disposition of such charges and determination of the
proper status of any and all detainers based on untried indictments,

informations, or complaints. The party States also find that proceedings with
reference to such charges and detainers, while emanating from another
jurisdiction, cannot properly be had in the absence of cooperative procedures. It
is the further purpose of this agreement to provide such cooperative
procedures."
5
18 U.S.C.App. p. 230 (1977 Supp.).
III.
6
An issue in this case is whether a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum under

28 U.S.C. 2241(c)(5) is a "detainer" within the meaning of that term as used
in the Detainer Agreement. The legislative history of P.L. 91-538 (Act of
December 9, 1970, 84 Stat. 1397), adopting the Detainer Agreement, makes
clear that Congress intended the word "detainer" to mean any notification filed
with the institution in which a prisoner is serving a sentence, advising that he is
wanted to face pending criminal charges in another jurisdiction. Each Form
Order constituting the writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum was clearly a
notification that the defendant was wanted to face a criminal charge in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.6
In Esola, supra, this court said at pages 836 and 838:
8
"First,
the appellee contends that the five transfers in this case were pursuant to writs
of habeas corpus ad prosequendum issued by a state court and honored as a matter of
comity, by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Since the request was not made pursuant
to Article IV of the Agreement, it is argued that the remedial provisions could not be
relevant. . . .
9
"The
word 'detainer,' as it is used in the Agreement, is 'a notification filed with the
institution in which a prisoner is serving a sentence, advising that he is wanted to
face pending criminal charges in another jurisdiction.' See Senate Report 91-1356,
91st Cong., 2d Sess., 2 U.S. Code Cong. & Admin. News, p. 4865. This definition of
a detainer from the Senate Report finds support in the other legislative history of the
Agreement and is consistent with the purposes of the Agreement."Although the
legislative history of the federal enactment of the Agreement is not voluminous,
perhaps because there was apparently no opposition to it in either the House of
Representatives or Senate, the remarks of Representative Kastenmeier upon
introduction of the bill make clear that he considered a detainer to be simply a notice
filed with the confining institution that criminal charges from another jurisdiction
were outstanding and that the prisoner was wanted in order to stand trial on those
charges. 116 Cong.Rec. 13999 (remarks of Rep. Kastenmeier).24 The Committee

Reports of both the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee
follow Rep. Kastenmeier's language almost verbatim.
10 Rep. Kastenmeier stated: 'For the purpose of this legislation . . . a detainer is a
24.
notification filed with the institution in which a prisoner is serving a sentence,
advising that he is wanted to stand trial on pending criminal charges in another
jurisdiction.' 116 Cong.Rec. 13999 (May 4, 1970)."
11
Our holding that the first two writs of habeas corpus ad prosequendum (see
page 229) were "detainers" under the Detainer Agreement is supported by
United States v. Mauro, 544 F.2d 588 (2d Cir. 1976); see also United States v.
Ford, supra at 736-37; but cf. Ridgeway v. United States, 558 F.2d 357 (6th
Cir., 1977); United States v. Chico, Opinion of June 20, 1977, 558 F.2d 1047
(2d Cir. No. 939, Sept. Term 1976, Docket No. 77-1016.6a Scallion, supra, may
be distinguished factually, while Mauro is substantially identic to this case and
the result there parallels the result we reach here.
12
The dissenting opinion of Judges Adams, Rosenn and Weis complains that the
effect of the legislative history of the Detainer Agreement, as adopted by
Congress in 1970 (see pages 230-231), is "to cut back on" or restrict the
"availability of" the writ specified in 28 U.S.C. 2241(a) and (c)(5), which has
been authorized since the 18th Century. But the Detainer Agreement only
provides certain consequences which follow the use of such writ and it remains
fully available to the courts. Congress is free to amend P.L. 91-538 by
including a definition of "detainer" which would exclude the writ provided for
in 28 U.S.C. 2241(a) and (c)(5) just as it added to the previous language of
the Detainer Agreement the definitions in 18 U.S.C.App. 3 and 4 when P.L.
91-538 was adopted in 1970.
13
We cannot agree with Judge Garth's statement, 562 F.2d at page 239 of his
separate opinion that "there are probably hundreds of federal prisoners,
parolees, and probationers who will be eligible to have their federal convictions
vacated under the majority's interpretation of the Agreement . . ." (Emphasis
supplied.) Since this issue involves statutory interpretation of Congressional
wording designed to require speedy criminal trials, there seems little
justification for retroactive application of the statutory construction ultimately
adopted, through collateral attack, where the defendant-prisoner has not
requested a speedy trial prior to the trial. See for example Daniel v. Louisiana,
420 U.S. 31, 95 S.Ct. 704, 42 L.Ed.2d 790 (1975); U. S. ex rel. Cannon v.
Johnson, 536 F.2d 1013, 1015-16 (3d Cir. 1976).6b
14
The reference in note 2 of Judge Weis' separate opinion to a 1975 report of the
Senate Judiciary Committee concerning completely separate proposed
legislation introduced into Congress in that year but never enacted is "a
hazardous basis for inferring the intent of an earlier (Congress)", Benevento v.
United States, 461 F.2d 1316, 1322, 198 Ct.Cl. 772 (1972). Similarly, the
citation in note 5 of that separate opinion to a definition of "detainers" in a
Handbook of the Council of State Governments written in 1949 seems to be of
little relevance in interpreting a 1970 Act of Congress.6c See pages 230-231,
setting forth the legislative history of the 1970 Detainer Agreement with which
we are concerned.
15
Also, the separate opinion of Judge Garth speculates, from the absence of
legislative history, that Congress did not mean what the words of Article IV(e)
of the Detainer Agreement (above at note 4) provide, which policy is contrary
to the position of Professor Leflar quoted in Aldisert, "The Judicial Process," at
177, 180 (1976). As pointed out above in the last paragraph of note 3,
compliance with the terms of Article IV(e) of the Detainer Agreement has been
worked out in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by transfer of custody from
state to federal authorities without doing violence to the language of Congress.
IV.
16
As noted under part II above, by adopting the Detainer Agreement in 1970,

Congress intended its provisions to apply whenever a detainer had been lodged
with a state jurisdiction by the Federal Government.7 Also, we note that by
returning Sorrell to Graterford Prison, his ability to consult with counsel was
impeded, which had the potential concomitant effect of impairing his
constitutional right to a speedy trial. Interference with the right to a speedy trial
is inconsistent with the remedial purposes and plain statutory language of the
Detainer Agreement.8
17
An order will be entered affirming the judgment of the district court.
Sorrell was indicted for violations of 26 U.S.C. 5861(d), (i), for possession of
an unregistered 12-gauge shotgun, having no serial number and a barrel length
of 12 inches. The offenses alleged occurred on or about December 29, 1974.
Sorrell was indicted for these offenses by the state, but the indictment was
subsequently dismissed for failure to comply with Pa.R.Crim.P. 1100 (180-day
trial rule). Although not entirely clear from the record, it appears that the
federal indictment was returned subsequent to the dismissal of the state
prosecution because of the state speedy trial problem

2
Sorrell's appearances before the United States District Court on April 2, April
19 and April 26, 1976, were compelled pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2241(a) and (c)
(5), which provide in pertinent part:
" 2241. Power to grant writ
(a) Writs of habeas corpus may be granted by . . . the district courts . . . within
their respective jurisdictions. . . .
"(c) The writ of habeas corpus shall not extend to a prisoner unless
"(5) It is necessary to bring him into court to testify or for trial."
The service of an order under the above section of Title 28 is fully executed
when the custody of the prisoner is changed from the state to the United States.
The provision for a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum has existed in the
Acts of Congress ever since the Judiciary Act of 1791, so that Congress, when
it adopted the Detainer Agreement, was well aware of this provision as a means
for producing a prisoner from the state jurisdiction to the federal courts to
respond to federal criminal charges.
The wording in each of the writs was substantially the same with the only
differences appearing in the dates, the description of the proceeding
(arraignment or trial), and the judicial officer before whom the defendant was
ordered to appear. The form writ for the April 2 appearance is reproduced in
note 6 below.
Because no federal detention facility exists in the Eastern District of

Pennsylvania, federal prisoners awaiting trial at the Philadelphia U.S. Court
House are housed in these state facilities in the nearby area, pursuant to a
contract between federal and state authorities (see 18 U.S.C. 4002; e. g.,
appendix at A-31 A-35 in United States v. Thompson, 562 F.2d 232 (3d Cir.,
No. 76-1976), also decided this day):
Philadelphia Detention Center (Philadelphia)
Berks County Prison at Reading (80 miles from the Philadelphia U.S. Court
House)
Delaware County Prison (25 miles from the Philadelphia U.S. Court House)
Chester County Prison (35 miles from the Philadelphia U.S. Court House)
Holmesburg Prison (Philadelphia)

House of Correction (Philadelphia)
The Graterford Prison is 35 miles from the Philadelphia U.S. Court House and
there is not regularly available transportation to and from the Philadelphia U.S.
Court House to that institution, whereas there is such transportation from the
above-listed prisons where federal prisoners are normally kept.
Thus, if Sorrell had been under federal custody in the Philadelphia Detention
Center or any of the other prisons listed above, he would have been more
available to his counsel because he could have been brought in by a Marshal's
car bringing other federal prisoners to the Philadelphia U.S. Court House. By
being kept in state custody at Graterford, his counsel had to consult with him at
a location where public transportation is not as readily available as it is to the
other prisons listed above. This last point was raised by counsel at oral
argument before the three-judge panel as well as the en banc court, with the
suggestion that the difficulty engendered in gaining access to the defendant
because of the above-described complications significantly impaired the ability
of counsel to consult with the defendant in preparation for trial and the
development of the defense.
At the en banc argument, in response to a question from the panel, it was stated
that since the time of the decision of the three-judge panel in this case,
affirming the dismissal of the district court, the United States Attorney's Office
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has been adhering to the mandates of
the Detainer Agreement by retaining federal custody over prisoners until they
can be tried. No suggestion has been made to this court that these procedures
have impaired the efficient administration of the United States Attorney's
responsibilities in any way.
4
Article IV(e) of the Detainer Agreement, 18 U.S.C.App. p. 232 (1977 Supp.),

provides:
"If trial is not had on any indictment, information, or complaint contemplated
hereby prior to the prisoner's being returned to the original place of
imprisonment pursuant to article V(e) hereof, such indictment, information, or
complaint shall not be of any further force or effect, and the court shall enter an
order dismissing the same with prejudice."
United States v. Sorrell, 413 F.Supp. 138 (E.D.Pa.1976)
The first such order, which was filed March 24, 1976 (Doc. 3 in United States
v. Sorrell, Crim. No. 76-165, E.D.Pa.), contained this language:
"AND NOW, this 23rd day of March, 1976, it is hereby

ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Warden of Graterford
Prison and the United States Marshal(s) for the Eastern District of Pa. produce
before this Court the body of Leroy Sorrell on Friday, April, 2, 1976 at 10:00
A.M. before the Honorable Peter B. Scuderi in Courtroom No. 3, 4th Floor to
appear for Arraignment in the above-captioned matter, and that immediately
upon the termination of the said proceedings, the said defendant be delivered
into the custody of the said superintendent of the said institution."
Insofar as United States v. Scallion, 548 F.2d 1168, 1173 (5th Cir. 1977), holds
that " 'detainer' for purposes of the Act does not include a writ of habeas corpus
ad prosequendum issued by a federal district court", we decline to follow it on
the facts of this case.
The lodging on March 26, 1976, of a written document denominated a
"Detainer" with the Warden at Graterford (A6-A7), after the issuance of the
above writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum had been signed on March 23
and filed on March 24, did not alter the effect of the March 23 writ as both a
detainer and "a written request for temporary custody or availability" under
Article IV(a) of the Detainer Agreement. 18 U.S.C.App. p. 232 (1977 Supp.).
6a The approach of Chico, supra at page 1049, would frustrate the purpose of
securing a speedy trial through requiring litigation and adjudication in each
case of the issue of whether the actions of the receiving state conform not only
to the language of the Detainer Agreement but also to its policies and purposes.
We recognize that Congress should harmonize the time periods provided for in
the Speedy Trial Act and the time requirements of the Detainer Agreement.
Compare 18 U.S.C. 3161 with 18 U.S.C.App. Article IV(c).
6b Also under the principles governing retroactive applications applied in civil
cases as set forth in Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson, 404 U.S. 97, 106, 92 S.Ct. 349,
355, 30 L.Ed.2d 296 (1972), relied on in note 1 of Judge Garth's opinion, it
would appear that this issue can well be considered as "an issue of first
impression whose resolution was not clearly foreshadowed".
6c See Sutherland, Statutory Construction (4th ed.), 48.11 at page 213, where
the author states:
"Statements from other nonofficial sources having no special connection with
the preparation and proposal of a bill are not generally considered for
interpretation purposes."
7
It is clear that the Detainer Agreement applies to the United States as a
"Receiving State." In Scallion, supra, the court said at page 1174 of 548 F.2d:
"The Government also argues that when Congress enacted the Act it intended
to cast the United States in the role of a 'Sending State' and not a 'Receiving
State' under the Agreement in recognition of the existing power to obtain
custody of state prisoners by the use of the writ of habeas corpus ad
prosequendum. We are unable to detect such intent. Article II provides that
'State' as used in the Agreement includes the United States of America. To the
extent that the United States makes use of a detainer, it is a 'Receiving State'
subject to the terms of the Agreement".
Accord, United States v. Mauro, supra at 593-95.
8
See, e. g., II at pages 229-230; Esola, supra at 833 & note 7; accord, Mauro at
590-91

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562 F.

UNITED STATES of America, Appellant,

United States Court of Appeals,

David W. Marston, U. S. Atty., Walter S. Batty, Jr., Asst. U. S. Atty.,

On March 23, 1976, an Eastern District of Pennsylvania grand jury returned an

proper status of any and all detainers based on untried indictments,

18 U.S.C.App. p. 230 (1977 Supp.).

An issue in this case is whether a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum under

In Esola, supra, this court said at pages 836 and 838:

charges. 116 Cong.Rec. 13999 (remarks of Rep. Kastenmeier).24 The Committee

As noted under part II above, by adopting the Detainer Agreement in 1970,

An order will be entered affirming the judgment of the district court.

prosecution because of the state speedy trial problem

Because no federal detention facility exists in the Eastern District of

Holmesburg Prison (Philadelphia)

Article IV(e) of the Detainer Agreement, 18 U.S.C.App. p. 232 (1977 Supp.),

United States v. Sorrell, 413 F.Supp. 138 (E.D.Pa.1976)

"AND NOW, this 23rd day of March, 1976, it is hereby

It is clear that the Detainer Agreement applies to the United States as a

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