Carlson v. Landon

342 U.S. 524, 72 S. Ct. 525, 96 L. Ed. 2d 547, 96 L. Ed. 547, 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2344
CourtSupreme Court of the United States
DecidedMarch 10, 1952
DocketNO. 35
StatusPublished
Cited by696 cases

This text of 342 U.S. 524 (Carlson v. Landon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of the United States primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carlson v. Landon, 342 U.S. 524, 72 S. Ct. 525, 96 L. Ed. 2d 547, 96 L. Ed. 547, 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2344 (1952).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Reed

delivered the opinion of the Court.

These cases present a narrow question with several related issues. May the Attorney General, as the executive head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service,1 after taking into custody active alien Communists on warrants,2 charging either membership in a group that ad[527]*527vocates the overthrow by force of this Government3 or inclusion in sny prohibited classes of aliens,4 continue them in custody without bail, at his discretion pending determination as to their deportability, under § 23 of the [528]*528Internal Security Act?5 Differing views of the Courts of Appeals led us to grant certiorari. 342 U. S. 807, 810.

I. Facts. — The four petitioners in case No. 35 were arrested under warrants, issued after the enactment of the Internal Security Act of 1950, charging each with being an alien who was a member of the Communist Party of the United States.6 The warrants directed that they be held in custody,7 pending determination [529]*529of deportability.8 Petitions for habeas corpus were promptly filed alleging that the detention without bond was in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment9 and the Eighth Amendment to the-Constitution of the United States, and that § 20 of the Immigration Act, as amended, was also unconstitutional. See note 5, supra. The allegation appears below.10

Respondent filed returns defending his orders of detention on the ground that there was reasonable cause to believe that petitioners’ release would be prejudicial to the public interest and would endanger the welfare and safety of the United States. These returns were countered by petitioners with allégations of their many years’ residence spent in this country without giving basis for fear of action by them inimical to the public'welfare during the pendency of their deportation proceedings, [530]*530their integration into community life through marriage and family connections, and their meticulous adherence to the terms of previous bail, allowed under a former warrant charging deportability. See note 8, supra. On consideration of these undenied allegations, the trial court determined that the Director had not been shown to have abused his discretion.11 This order was reversed on the ground that the Director “must state some fact upon which a reasonable person could logically conclude that the denial of bail is required to protect the country or to secure the alleged alien’s presence for deportation should an order to that effect be the result of the hearing.”12

On rehearing, the Director made allegation, supported by affidavits, that the Service’s dossier of each petitioner contained evidence, indicating to him that each was at the time of arrest a member of the Communist Party of the United States and had since 1930 participated or was then actively participating in the Party’s indoctrination of others to the prejudice of the public interest. There was no denial of these allegations by any of the petitioners, except Hyun, or any assertion that any of them had completely severed all Communist affiliations or connections.13 As to Hyun the denial was formal and did not include any affidavit denying the facts státed in the Director’s affidavit. As the allegations are set out by the Court of Appeals in the carefully detailed opinion of Circuit Judge Stephens, we refrain from any further re[531]*531statement here.14 The Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court’s determination that there was substantial evidence to support the discretion exercised in denying bail.

Respondent Zydok, in case No. 136, was arrested in August 1949 under a recent warrant charging that he was subject to deportation as an alien with membership in an organization advocating the violent overthrow of the Government. Act of October 16, 1918, as amended, 8 U. S. C. (1946 ed.) § 137. At that time he was released on $2,000 bail. Later a deportation hearing was held by the Immigration and Naturalization Service but this Court’s decision in Wong Yang Sung v. McGrath, 339 U. S. 33, necessitated a second deportation hearing.

After the effective date, September 23, 1950, of the Internal Security Act of 1950, respondent was again taken into custody by petitioner on the 1949 warrant, pursuant to radiogram direction from the Acting Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization referring to § 20 of the Immigration Act of 1917, as amended by § 23 of the Internal Security Act. The respondent was held without bail by petitioner under an order from the Acting Commissioner of Immigration. The rearrest was based on § 22 of the Internal Security Act of 1950 which provides for the deportation of aliens who are members of or affiliated with the Communist Party. 8 U. S. C. (Supp. IV) § 137.

Thereupon respondent filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the United States District Court for the Easteni District of Michigan, challenging the validity of his detention without bail. The District Court found that petitioner was an alien and had been and was on arrest a member of the Communist Party. The court determined [532]*532that there had been no abuse of administrative discretion in refusing bail and denied the petition for habeas corpus.15

The Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the District Court, holding that in determining denial of bail the Attorney General could not rest on membership alone in the Communist Party but was under the duty to consider also the likelihood that the alien would appear when ordered to do so under the circumstances as developed in the habeas corpus hearing. The court thought the failure of the Attorney General to allow bail was an abuse of discretion.

That court agreed that the District Court was correct in finding that Zydok was a member of the Communist Party and had been in 1949 the financial secretary of its Hamtramck Division. The respondent’s testimony justifies thé District Court’s finding set out in the margin.16 The record shows other information in the files of the Attorney General, such as attendance at closed meetings of the Party and the Michigan State Convention. The opinion succinctly sets out the facts concerning respondent’s integration into American life. We adopt that statement.17 It was said:

“Discretion does not mean decision upon one particular fact or set of facts. It means rather a just [533]*533and proper decision in view of all the attending circumstances. The Styria v. Morgan, 186 U. S. 1, 9, 22 S. Ct. 731, 46 L. Ed. 1027. There are many circumstances which involve decision.” 187 F. 2d 802, 803.

The Court of Appeals concluded.:

“We think that a fair consideration of the factors above set out in their aggregate require that appeb. lant should have been granted bail in some reasonable amount.

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Bluebook (online)
342 U.S. 524, 72 S. Ct. 525, 96 L. Ed. 2d 547, 96 L. Ed. 547, 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carlson-v-landon-scotus-1952.