In re the Extradition of Singh

123 F.R.D. 140, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17275, 1988 WL 119140
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedJuly 29, 1988
DocketMagistrate Nos. 87-6160G-01, 87-6161G-01
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 123 F.R.D. 140 (In re the Extradition of Singh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Extradition of Singh, 123 F.R.D. 140, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17275, 1988 WL 119140 (D.N.J. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

RONALD J. HEDGES, United States Magistrate.

INTRODUCTION

Separate extradition hearings were conducted as to defendants Sukhminder Singh and Ranjit Singh Gill during the first week of February, 1988. The Court concluded that defendants were extraditable to the Republic of India. See Certifications of Extraditability and Orders of Commitment filed February 5, 1988 (“the Certifications”).

On March 21, 1988 the United States Attorney advised the Court of the existence of substantial evidence that Special Assistant United States Attorney Judy G. Russell, who represented the Government in these proceedings, manufactured threats to herself and the Court. See Transcript of March 21,1988 conference and Government Exhibits 1 through 4D. This led the Court to unseal certain portions of the hearing transcript. See Letter-Order filed March 22, 1988; Affidavit of Daniel J. Gibbons filed March 30, 1988. Thereafter, additional portions were unsealed. See Order filed April 13, 1988; Affidavit of Daniel J. Gibbons filed April 13, 1988.

The Government has moved to vacate the Certifications. The basis for the application is set forth in correspondence from United States Attorney Samuel A. Alito, Jr., dated March 28, 1988. This correspondence, which is attached to the Letter-Order filed March 29, 1988, provides, in pertinent part, that,

[although we believe that Ms. Russell’s actions had no effect upon the Court’s finding with respect to the extradition, we respectfully request that this Court schedule a rehearing of the evidence and make a new, independent finding with respect to the issue of extradition. We believe this is necessary in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety with respect to the Court’s decision, and in order to erase any claim that the respondents’ rights could have been impinged upon by the alleged conduct of the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.
A review of the files in this matter reveals that the false statements first surfaced on January 14 or 15, 1988. Therefore, the only matters that could arguably have been affected are the hearings that took place after that time, specifically, the evidentiary hearings on the extradition issue.

Defendants, in turn, have moved to compel discovery. The basis for the motion is summarized as follows:

Both the court and counsel have noted that this case presents a unique and extraordinary factual situation. The very nature and seriousness of the prosecutorial misconduct is undoubtedly as shocking to the court as it is to counsel and the general public. The untoward consequences of the AUSA’s acts permeated the conduct of the hearing and, undoubtedly, the ultimate decision.
The AUSA used the existence of these threats as the basis for various in cam[143]*143era and ex parte representations, which resulted in the imposition of unprecedented security measures during the proceedings, including the chaining and shackling of the two respondents. She successfully opposed respondents’ request for a brief adjournment of the hearing, preventing their most experienced trial counsel, William M. Kuntsler, from being present during three of the four days of hearings. As a further consequence, the AUSA obtained highly-visible preferential treatment, including a Marshal’s escort and preferred seating for Hindu Indian government officials, while members of the Sikh community were relegated to public seating. Most significant, the prosecutor’s daily secret reports to the court of the ‘threats’ and other ‘intelligence’ information wholly corrupted the entire atmosphere of the hearing; respondents were treated as and made to appear as ‘terrorists’ so dangerous that only the most extreme security could insure that they or others acting with them would not endanger the participants in the case. [Respondents’ Memorandum of Law at 1-2 (footnote omitted) ].

The Court has considered defendants’ moving papers, together with the Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Respondents’ Motion for Discovery and the Memorandum in Reply to Government’s Memorandum in Opposition. The Court has also considered the letter brief submitted by Gerald McDowell, Chief of the Public Integrity Section, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, dated June 28, 1988. Oral argument was conducted on July 6, 1988.

DISCUSSION

I. SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

This Court had subject matter jurisdiction over these extradition proceedings. Opinion filed February 17, 1988 at 2. The first question presented is whether the Court retains jurisdiction to address the pending motions after issuance of the Certifications. This question should be addressed in the context of “finality” of the Certifications.

In Eain v. Wilkes, 641 F.2d 504 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 894, 102 S.Ct. 390, 70 L.Ed.2d 208 (1981), the court reviewed the procedure for extradition:

Under [18 U.S.C.] § 3184, should the magistrate either determine that the offense charged is not within a treaty’s terms or find an absence of probable cause, the magistrate cannot certify the matter to the Secretary of State for extradition. If the case is certified to the Secretary for completion of the extradition process it is in the Secretary’s sole discretion to determine whether or not extradition should proceed further with the issuance of a warrant of surrender____
The government cannot take a direct appeal from the magistrate’s decision not to certify the case. There also is no statutory provision for direct appeal of an adverse ruling by a person whose extradition is sought. Instead, that person must seek a writ of habeas corpus..... The scope of habeas corpus review in extradition cases is a limited one, according due deference to the magistrate’s initial determination____ The district judge is not to retry the magistrate’s case. [641 F.2d at 508 (emphasis in original) (citations omitted)].

Accord United States v. Doherty, 786 F.2d 491, 494-95 (2d Cir.1986); Quinn v. Robinson, 783 F.2d 776, 786 n. 3 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 882, 107 S.Ct. 271, 93 L.Ed.2d 247 (1986); In re Mackin, 668 F.2d 122, 125-30 (2d Cir.1981); Hooker v. Klein, 573 F.2d 1360, 1364-65 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 932, 99 S.Ct. 323, 58 L.Ed.2d 327 (1978). Thus,

where the government in good faith determines that extradition is warranted, it is not barred from pursuing multiple extradition requests irrespective of whether earlier requests were denied on the merits or on procedural grounds. [Hooker v. Klein, supra, 573 F.2d at 1366].

The Certifications are not final. In re Mackin, supra, 668 F.2d at 129-30; Hooker v. Klein, supra, 573 F.2d at 1367-68. The Court is satisfied that it retains jurisdiction to reopen the proceedings on a [144]*144showing of good cause. Cf. Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Abudu, 485 U.S. 94, 108 S.Ct. 904, 914, 99 L.Ed.2d 90 (1988) (“appropriate analogy [to motion to reopen deportation proceeding] is a motion for a new trial in a criminal case on the basis of newly discovered evidence, as to which the courts have uniformly held that the moving party bears a heavy burden”).1

Good cause exists here.

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123 F.R.D. 140, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17275, 1988 WL 119140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-extradition-of-singh-njd-1988.