520 F.

2d 830

UNITED STATES of America ex rel. Frank ESOLA, # 53517,

Appellant,
v.
Ronald M. GROOMES, Superintendent.
No. 74-2197.

United States Court of Appeals,

Third Circuit.
Argued May 1, 1975.
Decided Aug. 5, 1975.

David M. Botwinick, and Eric J. Ludwig, Stark & Stark, Trenton, N. J.,
for appellant.
James M. Coleman, Jr., Monmouth County Prosecutor, and Charles E.
Shaw, III, Edward A. MacDuffie, Jr., Assistant County Prosecutors,
Freehold, N. J., for appellee.
Before FORMAN, VAN DUSEN and GARTH, Circuit Judges.
OPINION OF THE COURT
VAN DUSEN, Circuit Judge.

This appeal challenges the district court order filed August 5, 1974, which
dismissed plaintiff's habeas corpus petition. We disagree with the lower court's
holding that no cause of action is presented by this claim arising under the
Interstate Agreement on Detainers1 and therefore vacate and remand for further
proceedings.

On June 25, 1974, Frank Esola filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and alleged the following
facts. On June 23, 1970, plaintiff was indicted by a Monmouth County, New
Jersey, grand jury for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and possession of
stolen property. On July 6, 1970, he was arraigned, entered a plea of not guilty,
and was released on $5,000 bail. On March 15, 1971, petitioner received a four

year sentence from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on an
unrelated charge and began service of the federal sentence.
3

On April 21, 1971, Esola was transferred via a writ of habeas corpus ad
prosequendum2 from the Federal Correctional Institution at Danbury,
Connecticut to Monmouth County, New Jersey, to stand trial. On April 27,
1971, he was returned to Danbury without having been tried. Thereafter, by
unspecified procedures, Esola was returned to Monmouth County on June 10,
1971, September 25, 1971, and January 6, 1972 for trial. During the January
transfer he was tried and convicted.3

It was further alleged that petitioner, following his return to Danbury after his
first transfer to New Jersey, requested the Danbury authorities not to allow any
future transfers because of a violation of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers.
The request was refused.

On November 15, 1971, appellant filed a pro se motion in the state trial court to
dismiss the indictment based on a violation of Article IV(e) of the Interstate
Agreement on Detainers (hereinafter Agreement). The motion was renewed
during trial and denied in an order dated February 18, 1972. On July 6, 1973,
the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, affirmed the conviction,
specifically rejecting the claim relating to a violation of the Agreement. On
November 27, 1973, the New Jersey Supreme Court denied certification.
Neither the trial court nor the Appellate Division set forth reasons for denying
petitioner's claim.

State remedies having been exhausted, the instant habeas corpus proceeding
was initiated. Petitioner contended that he was entitled to have the state
conviction voided because New Jersey violated Article IV(e) of the Agreement,
N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-4(e),4 when he was returned to Danbury without having
been brought to trial. In answer to the petition the Monmouth County
Prosecutor denied all of the factual allegations. The only state records which are
part of the record before this Court are the documents which were attached to
the habeas petition.

The district court held that state remedies had been exhausted as required by 28
U.S.C. 2254(b) but dismissed the petition, citing United States ex rel. Huntt v.
Russell, 285 F.Supp. 765 (E.D.Pa.1968), aff'd. 406 F.2d 774 (3d Cir. 1969).
Huntt involved a claim that an illegal extradition rendered a subsequent
conviction void. Based on a long line of Supreme Court cases5 rejecting this
contention, relief was denied. Huntt does not control this case, however,

because there was no assertion in that case that the rendition was violative of
the Interstate Agreement on Detainers.
8

Although the opinion of the court below did not state the procedural basis upon
which the petition was dismissed, the record is clear that the court treated the
respondent's answer as a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon
which relief could be granted, Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), United States ex rel.
Gaugler v. Brierley, 477 F.2d 516, 523 (3d Cir. 1973), and granted the motion.
This Court's function is to determine whether, assuming all of the facts alleged
in the petition to be true, the petition states a claim upon which relief can be
granted. 2A Moore's Federal Practice P 12.08.6

The Interstate Agreement on Detainers is a comprehensive statute which is

designed to handle two major problems facing a prisoner against whom a
detainer representing open criminal charges in another jurisdiction has been
lodged. Article I of the Agreement7 states that the party jurisdictions recognize
that detainers and the difficulty in securing rapid disposition of them "produce
uncertainties which obstruct programs of prisoner treatment and rehabilitation."
To implement the right to a speedy trial and to minimize the interference with a
prisoner's treatment and rehabilitation, the Agreement creates several rights
previously non-existent.

10

Article III of the Agreement8 gives to a prisoner the right to demand disposition
of any untried indictment, information or complaint which is the subject of a
detainer lodged by a party state. If the trial is not commenced within 180 days
of the request and a continuance is not granted in open court, for good cause
shown, with the prisoner or his counsel present,9 then the appropriate court in
the jurisdiction in which the outstanding charge is pending shall enter an order
dismissing the criminal charges with prejudice.10 Thus, Article III is concerned
with providing a mechanism, capable of being invoked by a prisoner, to insure
the constitutional guarantee of a speedy trial.11

11

Article IV, on the other hand, is designed both to provide a simplified

procedure for allowing the demanding state to gain the presence of the
defendant for trial, and to control what happens to the prisoner following
rendition to the demanding jurisdiction. Article IV(a)12 states that absent
affirmative intervention by the governor of the confining jurisdiction, 13 and
after a 30 day waiting period, a request for temporary custody by the prosecutor
which is approved, recorded and transmitted by the court having jurisdiction
over the pending charge shall be honored by the sending state. Article IV(c)
requires that any trial made possible by the use of the Article IV(a) right shall
be commenced within 120 days unless a continuance for good cause is granted

in open court, the prisoner or his counsel being present. Finally, Article IV(e)14
provides that if the trial is not held prior to the prisoner's return to the sending
state, then the "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." The purpose of the Article IV provisions is to insure that
interruptions of the sending jurisdiction's incarceration are minimized, and in
exchange for the small added hardship placed on the prosecutor of the
demanding state regarding time limits, a simplified procedure for obtaining the
defendant's presence is made available.
12

With this basic statutory framework in mind, we turn to the issues presented by
this appeal.

I. JURISDICTION
13

Title 28 U.S.C. 2254(a) provides in part that an application for a writ of

habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to a state court judgment shall be
entertained "only on the ground that he is in custody in violation of the . . . laws
. . . of the United States." Appellant Frank Esola's claim is that he is in custody
in violation of Article IV(e) of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers, N.J.S.A.
2A:159A-4(e). At oral argument before this Court, counsel for appellee
conceded that a claim arising under the New Jersey enactment of the agreement
presented a claim under the laws of the United States.15 Because this
requirement goes to the jurisdiction of a federal court to grant habeas corpus
relief, some discussion is warranted.16

14

Congress provided in section 2 of P.L. 91-538:

"15The Interstate Agreement on Detainers is hereby enacted into law and entered into
by the United States on its own behalf and on behalf of the District of Columbia
with all jurisdictions legally joining in substantially the following form: . . .."
16

(18 U.S.C. Appendix (1975 Supp.)).17

17

The habeas petition alleges that Esola, while an inmate of the Federal
Correctional Institution at Danbury, was transferred to Freehold, New Jersey,
on several occasions. As a federal prisoner, the transfer could have been
accomplished through the use of the Agreement. This was possible only
because both the sending jurisdiction, the United States, and the demanding
state, New Jersey, were both parties to the agreement. If the machinery created
by the Agreement had been used, then N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-4(a) would have
entitled the Monmouth County Prosecutor to temporary custody of the prisoner

for the purpose of standing trial. In order to make this New Jersey entitlement
effective, 18 U.S.C. Appendix (1975 Supp.) Article IV(b) and Article V(a)
would have required the warden at Danbury to honor the request. It is clear that
the statutes of each jurisdiction are relevant and necessary to accomplish the
transfer.
18

The Agreement, in addition to being a statute of the typical variety which

provides rights and imposes duties, is binding in this case on New Jersey as
well as the United States. Thus, while Esola's rights to a speedy trial and
effective rehabilitative treatment were allegedly violated by the multiple
transfers, the rights of the United States were also violated by the same
transfers. The Federal Government, through joinder in the Agreement, forfeited
its right to exclusive control over Esola during the term of the sentence imposed
by the district court. Concomitantly, the United States gained the right not to
have its various rehabilitative programs unduly hampered by numerous,
unnecessary transfers to a jurisdiction with outstanding criminal charges. In
short, the Agreement cannot be viewed as a single enactment by a single
legislative body. Rather it is a law binding on at least two sovereigns as far as
this case is concerned. Rights arising under the Agreement flow from the joint
actions of both of the party jurisdictions. A right claimed under the New Jersey
statute, to the extent the right is actually found to exist, is therefore also
claimed under the United States statute. A claim arising under a statute of the
United States, specifically P.L. 91-538, is a claim arising under the "laws . . . of
the United States" within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. 2254.

19

We therefore hold that a claim, by a prisoner in federal custody at the time the
Detainers Agreement is invoked, arising under N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-1 et seq., as
it operates in conjunction with the federal enactment of the Agreement, 18
U.S.C. Appendix (1975 Supp.), is a claim arising under the " laws . . . of the
United States," within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. 2254.

20

Congress was not consenting to a compact between states under Article I,

Section 10, Clause 3, of the Constitution in P.L. 91-538, since consent had been
previously given in advance by 44 Stat. 909 (1934), reproduced at 4 U.S.C.
112(a). Congress recognized in the legislative history of P.L. 91-538 that its
consent to the Agreement as a compact had already been given. See 3 U.S.Code
Cong. & Admin.News, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 1970, at p. 4866. For this reason,
we need not determine the question of whether a claim arising under a compact
only consented to by Congress under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3, is
necessarily a claim arising under the laws of the United States. Cf. League to
Save Lake Tahoe v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 507 F.2d 517 (9th Cir.
1974), cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 95 S.Ct. 1398, 43 L.Ed.2d 654 (1975); Engdahl,

Construction of Interstate Compacts: A Questionable Federal Question, 51

Va.L.Rev. 987 (1965).
II. THE MERITS AS ALLEGED IN THE PETITION
21

As noted above at page 4, no hearing was held and the district court dismissed
the claim, treating the answer as a motion to dismiss under F.R.Civ.P. 12(b)
(6). Under these circumstances, our discussion of the merits must treat the
allegations in the petition as true, since petitioner was given no hearing, trial or
other opportunity to prove his allegations. We express no opinion whatever on
the legal result which the district court should reach on remand when it has a
more complete record, but consider it necessary to comment on the contentions
made by respondent on this appeal for the assistance of the district court and
counsel on remand in view of our disagreement with several of such
contentions, particularly in light of the legislative history of P.L. 91-538 as
applied to this record.

22

Esola argues that, since he was transferred from Danbury to Freehold, New
Jersey, and returned to Danbury without having been tried, Article IV(e)
requires a dismissal of the indictment for which he is now serving a custodial
sentence. Article IV(e), N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-4(e), provides:

23 trial is not had on any indictment, information or complaint contemplated hereby

"If
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."
24

In order to rebut the Article IV(e) claim, the appellee offered two arguments in
its brief filed in this Court and a third contention was raised at oral argument.

25

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.18 Since the request was
not made pursuant to Article IV of the Agreement, it is argued that the remedial
provisions could not be relevant. Further, the State at oral argument took the
position that the Agreement could not have been used in this case because,
following arraignment on the state charges and prior to his sentencing by the
district court, Esola was released on bail.19 Since he was on bail, no detainer
was or could have been lodged by the state with the federal prison. We think
both of these arguments must fail on these allegations because they
misconceive the broad nature of the Agreement and misconstrue the meaning of

"detainer" as that word is used in the Agreement.

26

It has been held that the Interstate Agreement on Detainers, because it "is
obviously remedial in character(,) . . . should be construed liberally in favor of
(those whose problems were sought to be alleviated.)" State v. West, 79
N.J.Super. 379, 384, 191 A.2d 758, 760 (App.Div.1966); People v. Esposito,
37 Misc.2d 386, 201 N.Y.S.2d 83, 88 (1960).20 Those whose problems are
addressed in the Agreement are prisoners with outstanding criminal charges
from another jurisdiction. The purpose of the provision which this case brings
into issue is to minimize the adverse impact of a foreign prosecution on
rehabilitative programs of the confining jurisdiction. When a prisoner is
needlessly shuttled between two jurisdictions, then any meaningful
participation in an ongoing treatment program is effectively foreclosed for two
reasons. First, participation requires physical presence and the continuous
physical presence of a prisoner is not possible when multiple trips to a foreign
jurisdiction are made. Secondly, the psychological strain resulting from
uncertainty about any future sentence decreases an inmate's desire to take
advantage of institutional opportunities.21

27

These problems are well documented in the instant case. At least since April
21, 1971, the date of the first return to New Jersey, Frank Esola was aware that
the New Jersey authorities fully intended to prosecute him on the 1970
indictment. Yet it was not until February 18, 1972, nearly 10 months later, that
final sentence was pronounced. Between April 1971 and February 1972 there
were five interruptions of the Danbury incarceration. It is precisely this type of
situation which the Agreement was designed to eliminate. Were we to hold, as
New Jersey urges, that the machinery of the Agreement is not the exclusive
means of effecting a transfer for the purpose of prosecution on these
allegations, then Article IV(c), requiring prosecution within 120 days of arrival,
and Article IV(e), allowing for only one rendition, would be meaningless. As
one court cogently noted in construing a different section of the Agreement,
"By that view, this law has wax teeth and is little more than a legislative
exercise in futility." People v. Esposito, supra, 201 N.Y.S.2d at 88.

28

Our holding that the Agreement provides the exclusive means of transfer when
it is available was foreshadowed by and is fully consistent with the recent case
of Grant v. Hogan, 505 F.2d 1220 (3d Cir. 1974). Grant, a federal prisoner,
brought suit in a federal court seeking an order directing that the federal warden
"hold for naught" a detainer representing an untried indictment which had been
lodged by a state. The basis for the attack was a claimed denial of a speedy
trial. This Court held that absent unusual circumstances an attack on a detainer
must be preceded by a demand for trial pursuant to Article III of the

Agreement. In so holding we impliedly recognized that this exhaustion

requirement would solve most of the speedy trial problems ensuing from
multiple prosecutions.22 Our holding today is merely the other side of the same
coin: the state is also required to use the statute if it is available.23
29

New Jersey next claims that it could not have used the Agreement in this case
because Esola had previously been released on bail on the outstanding
indictment and therefore the warden at Danbury could not have been requested
to "detain" Esola following his release on the federal sentence. This argument
must be rejected because its premise, that a detainer is a hold order, is incorrect.

30

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., 2nd Sess., 3 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.

31

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.25 See generally, Lawrence v. Blackwell, 298
F.Supp. 708, 711 n.1 (N.D.Ga.1969); United States v. Candelaria, 131 F.Supp.
797, 805 (S.D.Cal.1955), quoting Handbook on Interstate Crime Control,
Chapter V.

32

Further, the definition of detainer described above is commensurate with the

purposes of the Agreement. The uncertainty resulting from pending criminal
charges is no less in a situation where the demanding state has requested that
the confining state hold the prisoner following expiration of the maximum term
than the uncertainty created by a request to be notified of the impending release
date. We note that, to the extent that the detainer represents an untried criminal
charge, it appears that the policy of the United States Bureau of Prisons is to
require the demanding jurisdiction to initiate separate extradition proceedings
where the request for custody comes at the end of the federal prison term and

the prisoner does not waive extradition. Bureau of Prisons Policy Statement No.
7500.14A(a), (b) and (d).26
33

In light of the fact that a detainer is only a document indicating that there are
pending criminal charges and a request to be notified of the impending release
date, the state's argument that New Jersey had no right to file a detainer and
thereby invoke the simplified transfer procedures of the Agreement must be
rejected.

34

New Jersey further contends that Article IV(e) of the Agreement, N.J.S.A.
2A:159A-4(e), was not violated by Esola's return to Danbury without having
been tried because the various continuances which were granted were for good
cause.

35

As respondent recognizes, the Agreement must be read in its entirety in order to

determine its correct meaning. Article IV of the Agreement sets forth the
formal requirements for transfer to a demanding jurisdiction. Article IV also
minimizes the interference which results from the transfer. Thus Article IV(c)
provides that the trial must begin within 120 days after the prisoner's arrival in
the demanding state unless a continuance is granted for good cause shown, in
open court, the prisoner or his counsel being present. For good cause shown,
therefore, a continuance beyond the 120 day limit of Article IV(c) is available.
This record does not show that a continuance was granted for good cause
shown in open court.27

36

Under these allegations, the indictment would be subject to dismissal with

prejudice under Article IV(e) if the trial is not held prior to the relator's return
to the sending jurisdiction. See United States v. Ricketson, 498 F.2d 367, 373
(7th Cir. 1974) (dicta). We have considered and rejected other contentions of
the respondent.28

37

We emphasize that we decide no more in this case than that a cause of action is
stated by the apparent failure of New Jersey to comply with the terms of the
Agreement, and hence that further proceedings in the district court are required.
As was noted earlier in this opinion,29 there is a very incomplete record before
this Court, the state records not having been filed and the appellee having filed
as an answer to the petition only a general denial of Esola's factual allegations.
It is, therefore, necessary to remand this case to the District Court for the
development of a full record. From the briefs filed in this Court and from the
representations made at oral argument by counsel for appellee, there may be no
dispute with regard to facts which were alleged in the habeas petition. Since we

have determined that, under the facts alleged and because the relator is
confined, appellant would be entitled to issuance of the writ of habeas corpus,
the District Court should consider this case on a proper record at its earliest
opportunity.
38

The judgment of the District Court will be vacated and the case remanded for
further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Costs taxed against the
appellee.
GARTH, Circuit Judge (concurring):

39

I agree with the majority of the Court that a federal question is presented by the
petition for habeas corpus and that the case must be remanded for further
proceedings. Nevertheless, I believe it important to note my disagreement with
the majority's jurisdictional analysis (Part I of the Majority Opinion) which
holds that the petition suffices as a claim alleging state "custody in violation of
the . . . laws . . . of the United States." 28 U.S.C. 2254(a); Majority Opinion at
834-836.

40

I read the majority's theory of jurisdiction as stating: that on the date

(December 9, 1970) that the United States' enactment of the Interstate
Agreement on Detainers became effective for the United States (March 9,
1971), all statutes of those states which had previously enacted the Agreement
by such statutes were immediately transformed into a law of the United States.
See Majority Opinion at 834.

41

While the majority's analysis reaches the same result as the analysis set forth
below under the particular facts present here, it neither specifies nor articulates
the authority by which a state statute enacting the Agreement as a law of that
state can suddenly become a law of the United States when the Agreement is
enacted by the United States but "on its (the United States') own behalf and on
behalf of the District of Columbia . . .." 18 U.S.C.A. Appendix 2 (1975
Supp.).1 Nor does the majority's analysis answer the question of whether a
violation of the Agreement between two states, one of which is not the United
States would give rise to federal habeas corpus jurisdiction.

42

The majority's analysis also fails to provide a jurisdictional basis for a claim
arising out of a pre-1971 violation of the Agreement. This analytical failure is
evident even if the violation occurred as between the United States and another
party state let alone between two party states, one of which was not the United
States.

43

Finally, the theory advanced by the majority does not explain which law
governs in the interpretation and application of the Agreement in the courts of
each of the party states.

44

It is true, of course, that we are presented here only with a violation which took
place after March 9, 1971 and which involves only the United States and New
Jersey. Hence, as a general rule of jurisprudence, it could be expected that the
majority go no further than to decide whether the facts in this particular case
give rise to jurisdiction. However, I believe that as jurisdiction is at issue, the
majority's approach is too restricted. Instead, because federal jurisdiction is at
issue, all possible circumstances that may arise should be considered to
determine the validity and the soundness of the proposed jurisdictional theory.

45

In my view, a much sounder and appropriate jurisdictional basis is afforded by

reference to the Compact Clause of the United States Constitution, Art. I, 10,
cl. 3. Accordingly I believe that the majority's jurisdictional analysis, while
effective in resolving the issue in this case, is, at most, a secondary and less
desirable jurisdictional basis for Esola and for future cases that may arise. After
analyzing the possible theories by which federal habeas corpus jurisdiction may
lie in the context of the Agreement, I find the most appropriate to be a theory
predicated upon congressional approval of Interstate Agreements or a "Compact
Clause" analysis.

46

The Compact Clause requires congressional approval of agreements between

the states. New Jersey's enactment of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers is
an agreement between it and other states which have enacted the Agreement.
As such, its approval by Congress under the Compact Clause is required. Such
congressional approval for the states' agreement on detainers was provided in
advance by the Act of June 5, 1934, 4 U.S.C. 112(a). See 1970 U.S.Code
Cong. & Ad.News at 4866.

47

It necessarily followed that upon approval by the United States Congress in

1934 (even though the United States did not itself become a party state under
the Agreement until 1970),2 federal law, rather than the particular law of each
party state, governed, and is to govern, the interpretation of the Agreement.3
See Petty v. Tennessee-Missouri Bridge Comm'n, 359 U.S. 275, 279-80, 79
S.Ct. 785, 3 L.Ed.2d 804 (1959); Interstate Wrecking Co., Inc. v. Palisades
Interstate Park Comm'n, 57 N.J. 342, 273 A.2d 10, 13-14 (1971). As such, the
Agreement and its construction by judicial authorities, involves a "federal 'title,
right, privilege, or immunity'. . . ." Delaware River Comm'n v. Colburn, 310
U.S. 419, 427, 60 S.Ct. 1039, 1041, 84 L.Ed. 1287 (1940) (emphasis supplied);
see Engdahl, Construction of Interstate Compacts: A Questionable Federal

Question, 51 Va.L.Rev. 987 (1965). Accordingly, I believe that congressional

consent to New Jersey's enactment of the Interstate Agreement under which
Agreement federal rights were created, transformed New Jersey's enactment of
the Agreement into a "law" of the United States. League to Save Lake Tahoe v.
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 507 F.2d 517 (9th Cir. 1974), cert. denied, -- U.S. ---, 95 S.Ct. 1398, 43 L.Ed. 654 (1975). See Pennsylvania v. The
Wheeling & Belmont Bridge Co., 54 U.S. (13 How.) 518, 565, 14 L.Ed. 249
(1851). That federal law became binding on New Jersey not on March 9, 1971,
the effective date of the United States' enactment of the Agreement, but rather
on April 18, 1958, the effective date of New Jersey's enactment of the
Agreement. In similar fashion this federal law is binding as to each party state
as of the date on which that particular state entered into or joins the Agreement.
48

In League to Save Lake Tahoe, supra, the Ninth Circuit held that congressional
sanction of an interstate agreement transformed it into a "law" of the United
States for purposes of 28 U.S.C. 1331(a) jurisdiction. I believe that a similar
conclusion must be reached with respect to New Jersey's enactment of a
congressionally approved agreement.

49

As earlier stated, under the majority's analysis certain significant questions

concerning jurisdiction and its effects are unanswered. In contrast, under a
"Compact Clause" analysis, the answers would appear to be evident. Under the
"Compact Clause" analysis, it is immaterial whether the United States is one of
the "transacting" jurisdictions. By virtue of the congressional action approving
the Agreement, the Agreement as enacted by each state subsequent to 1934 is a
"law" of the United States. As such, a violation of the Agreement is a violation
of a law of the United States within the purview of 28 U.S.C. 2254. Hence
since 1934 and not 1971, habeas corpus jurisdiction in the federal courts should
have been, and is, available for violations of the Agreement where neither the
receiving party jurisdiction nor the sending party jurisdiction was or is the
United States.

50

I believe only the "Compact Clause" analysis provides the breadth of habeas
corpus availability in federal courts and the concomitant uniformity of
interpretation. Uniformity of interpretation is necessary as the Agreement deals
with more than local concerns; indeed, the remedial provisions of the
Agreement, by allowing relief only in the receiving jurisdiction, even for
violations occurring in the sending jurisdiction, encompasses and affects
activities beyond the control of a single state. 4 The majority's analysis seriously
jeopardizes the attainment of such a uniform interpretation. The possibility
exists under the majority's theory of jurisdiction, that the Agreement may be
interpreted by the same receiving state under two, potentially different,

standards of law: one being a federal standard (and then if at all, only after
March 9, 1971), where the United States is the sending jurisdiction, thus giving
a "federal" content to the Agreement, and the other being a state standard where
the sending jurisdiction is a state, thus permitting the Agreement to be
interpreted according to the law of one of the two states. In contrast to the
majority's view, the "Compact Clause" analysis would require that the courts of
the several jurisdictions (38 states plus the United States) which have enacted
the Agreement interpret the Agreement according to a single standard a federal
one. See note 3, supra.
51

The majority and I have reached the same conclusion as to the petition before
us, that is that habeas corpus jurisdiction is available in the federal courts. We
part company, however, in the respective routes chosen to reach this
conclusion. It would appear that the majority's route must either begin with the
United States at one end of the prisoner's transfer or terminate with the United
States at the other end. In my view, the majority's route is too narrow and
limited as it may deny a federal forum for habeas corpus relief to petitioners
with justifiable grievances arising out of actions by states where the United
States is not a party. Certainly this would be so under the majority's theory
where pre-1971 matters are in issue. I would hope that in time this Court will
depart from the narrow one-lane route constructed by the majority to traverse
the broader jurisdictional highway which I have outlined.

52

I am obliged, however, to make still another observation with respect to the

Majority Opinion. The majority, by its own statement, has decided no more
than ". . . that a cause of action is stated by the apparent failure of New Jersey
to comply with the terms of the Agreement, and hence that further proceedings
in the district court are required." Majority Opinion at 839. Indeed, it would be
improvident for us to decide otherwise since by reason of the district court's
dismissal of the petition, the record before us is silent. Taking the majority at
its word, I thus disregard as gratuitous and advisory any discussion in the
Majority Opinion which treats with any of the merits of the petition. The merits
of Esola's petition, having been assumed to be true for purposes of appellate
review, 5 we should defer after remand to the district court for its resolution of
all questions of fact and law, other than, of course, jurisdiction.

Thirty-seven states have adopted the Interstate Agreement on Detainers. The

United States and the District of Columbia entered into the Agreement in 1970,
Act of Dec. 9, 1970, Pub.L.No.91-538, 1-8, 84 Stat. 1397, 18 U.S.C.A. App.
p. 167 (1975 Supp.). See Grant v. Hogan, 505 F.2d 1220, 1221 n.1 (3d Cir.

1974)
2

The petition contains this allegation in paragraph 12(a) at page 3:

"On April 21, 1971, while incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution at
Danbury, Connecticut (hereinafter referred to as Danbury), petitioner, pursuant
to a writ of habeas corpus Ad Prosequendum, secured by the Monmouth
County Prosecutor, was transported to Monmouth County, New Jersey for trial
on the aforementioned indictment."
As explained below, this writ constituted a detainer under the terms of the
Agreement.
Also, Esola alleged that New Jersey wanted to prosecute him for a violation of
N.J.S.A. 2A:139-1.

Appellant's brief filed in this Court states that there was a fifth transfer to New
Jersey for the purpose of sentencing. The state records appended to the habeas
corpus petition show that the sentencing occurred approximately one month
after the trial but do not reflect whether a separate transfer was effected for this
purpose. Since the case is being remanded, plaintiff will have an opportunity to
file a Motion to Amend his Petition in the District Court if he so desires
The petition names Ronald N. Groomes as the respondent. Esola has apparently
been transferred to another institution in New Jersey. After remand, a Motion to
Amend the Caption to reflect the new custodian should be entertained. United
States ex rel. Jennings v. Pennsylvania, 429 F.2d 522, 523 (3d Cir. 1970).

Article IV(e) of the Agreement, N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-4(e) 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."
The companion federal provision, 18 U.S.C. Appendix (1975 Supp.) Article
IV(e), is identical.

See, e. g., Frisbie v. Collins, 342 U.S. 519, 72 S.Ct. 509, 96 L.Ed. 541 (1952);
Ker v. Illinois, 119 U.S. 436, 7 S.Ct. 225, 30 L.Ed. 421 (1886)

Rule 81(a)(2), Fed.R.Civ.P., provides that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
apply to habeas corpus proceedings except to the extent that the procedure is

modified by statute
7

Article I of the Agreement provides:

"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."

N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-3. The federal provision is identical

N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-3(a). The federal provision is identical

10

N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-5(c). The federal provision is identical

11

In Smith v. Hooey, 393 U.S. 374, 89 S.Ct. 575, 21 L.Ed.2d 607 (1969), decided
the year before federal enactment of the Agreement, the Court held that the
constitutional right to a speedy trial was not suspended because the state did not
have the power to compel the presence at trial of a defendant who was a
prisoner in another jurisdiction. There is some indication that the Smith
decision spurred the adoption of the Agreement by Congress. S.Rep.No.911356, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. (1970) 3 U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News, p. 4864
(1970)

12

N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-4(a). The federal provision is identical

13

As the Agreement applies to the United States, "governor" is defined as the

Attorney General. 18 U.S.C. Appendix (1975 Supp.) 3

14

N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-4(e). The federal provision is identical

15

This concession at oral argument constituted a change in position by the

appellee. No explanation of this shift was offered. In a supplemental
memorandum, submitted, prior to the argument, at the request of the Court,
appellee had taken the position that Esola's claim did not arise under the laws of
the United States

16

A federal court is always required to examine its own jurisdiction. Fed.R.Civ.P.

12(h)(2); Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Ry. v. Swan, 111 U.S. 379, 4
S.Ct. 510, 28 L.Ed. 462 (1884)

17

It would appear significant that Congress, by enacting P.L. 91-538, subjected

itself to the transfer of federal prisoners, including those held for criminal
offenses committed in the District of Columbia, to other states which were
parties to the Agreement in accordance with its terms

18

It is the policy of the Bureau of Prisons to honor state court writs of habeas
corpus ad prosequendum absent some exceptional circumstances Bureau of
Prisons Policy Statement No. 7500. 14A(i). See also Smith v. Hooey, 393 U.S.
at 381, n.13, 89 S.Ct. 575

19

This factual assertion is consistent with the allegations contained in the habeas
petition

20

This canon of statutory construction is repeated in the Agreement itself. Article

IX, N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-9, provides in pertinent part: "This agreement shall be
liberally construed so as to effectuate its purposes." The purposes of the statute
are contained in Article I, set forth at note 7, supra

21

Article I of the Agreement, N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-1, is explicit regarding the

purposes of the Agreement. See note 7, supra. See also, S.Rep.No.91-1356,
supra note 11, p. at 4866. Congressman Poff described the purposes of the
Agreement as follows (116 Cong.Rec. 14000, May 4, 1970):
"The agreement on detainers does not affect the applicable law in any criminal
case. All it does is insure that both prosecution and defendant may, if they
desire, obtain their day in court on a prompt and timely basis. The advantages to
both sides are considerable.
From the prosecutor's point of view, a long delay in trial pending release of a
prisoner by another State might make conviction impossible. Witnesses might
die or disappear or become unavailable.
To the defendant, such a delay would effectively deny him a speedy trial. The
Supreme Court held in Smith v. Hooey, 393 U.S. 374, 89 S.Ct. 575, 21 L.Ed.2d
607 (1969), that the speedy trial clause of the sixth amendment requires that a
State which has a charge pending against a defendant serving a sentence
elsewhere make a good faith effort to bring such defendant to trial within a
reasonable time.
On a more practical level, an outstanding detainer may make a defendant

ineligible for probation or parole or for some of the more desirable work
assignments in prison. Also, if a defendant is uncertain as to whether he will
have to serve another jail term he is less likely to have the motivation to become
successfully rehabilitated. This latter consideration is especially important in
view of the fact that the basic purpose of the entire penal system is to prepare
its inmates to reenter society as law-abiding citizens." See also 116 Cong.Rec.
at 13999.
22

505 F.2d at 1224. This requirement of exhaustion of remedies under the

Agreement prior to seeking relief from a detainer on speedy trial grounds is the
subject of a standing order in the District of Kansas, Fells v. Kansas, 343
F.Supp. 678, 680 (D.Kan.1972), and also appears to be in line with the view of
the Eighth Circuit. See Wingo v. Ciccone, 507 F.2d 354 (8th Cir. 1974);
Cooper v. Lockhart, 489 F.2d 308 (8th Cir. 1973). Cf. Waddell v. Alldredge,
480 F.2d 1078 (3d Cir. 1973); Willis v. Ciccone, 506 F.2d 1011, 1015 (8th Cir.
1974)

23

Insofar as United States v. Ricketson, 498 F.2d 367 (7th Cir. 1974), is
inconsistent with this decision, we decline to follow it on the facts of this case

24

Rep. Kastenmeier stated: "For the purpose of this legislation of a detainer is a

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)

25

S.Rep.No.91-1356, supra note 11, p. at 4865. The Report of the House

Judiciary Committee is identical. H.R.Rep.No.91-1018, 91st Cong. 2d Sess.
(1970)

26

Policy Statement 7500.14A states that warrants based on pending charges will
be treated as detainers, id. (a). It further provides that notice will be given to
the detaining authorities 60 days prior to release and advises that the detaining
authority should make arrangements with local authorities in the state where the
institution is located to take custody at the appropriate time, id. (b). Section
(d) states that if the prisoner does not sign a waiver of extradition then "the
detaining authorities should be notified immediately in order that they may
make their decisions with regard to the question of extradition," id. (d)

27

Respondent made no such allegation in its answer and implied at page 7 of its
brief that no such continuance was granted. For this reason, we need not meet,
on this record, the contention of respondent that Article IV(e) of the Agreement
is modified by Article IV(c)

28

New Jersey argues further that since it is liable for the costs of pretrial

incarceration under Article V(h), it would be unduly harsh to force them to bear
the expense of incarceration which, they assert, was necessarily very long in
this case. The response to this is that the scheme of the Agreement, to expedite
the disposition of the detainers, adds cost as one additional factor to encourage
careful planning and discourage the use of the Article IV(c) continuance.
Finally, the state asserts that the federal authorities at Danbury might have been
reluctant to agree to the extended temporary custody which is involved in this
case. The answer to this question is that had a proper Article IV(a) request for
temporary custody been made, absent intervention by the executive, Article
V(a) would have entitled New Jersey to such custody. The potential reluctance
of the Danbury authorities is no bar to the imposition of Article IV(e) sanctions
29

See note 6, supra, and accompanying text

It would appear that the only tenable theory by which the majority could
support its thesis is one of contract, inasmuch as the Agreement itself refers to
"The contracting states solemnly agree that. . . ." 18 U.S.C.A. Appendix 2
(1975 Supp.) (emphasis supplied). Moreover, 2 by its terms appears in a
contract context, i. e., "the Interstate Agreement. . . is hereby enacted into law
and entered into by the United States . . . with all jurisdictions legally joining in
(enactment of the Agreement) . . .." Id. (emphasis supplied). Nothing, however,
appears in the Majority Opinion to indicate that the federal law concept arises
out of a contract by the United States with the other party states. If in fact that
is the underlying and implicit authority of the Majority Opinion, I nevertheless
am of the view that there are shortcomings to such a jurisdictional predicate,
some of which are indicated in the text of this Concurring Opinion

See 18 U.S.C.A. Appendix (1975 Supp.)

I recognize, as does the majority, that the enactment of the Agreement by each
party state is undoubtedly in identical statutory terms. Nevertheless, the gloss
which may be imparted by the courts to identical language may vary
significantly among the states which have separately enacted the Agreement. It
is for this reason that I consider the need for a uniform interpretation of the
Agreement to be significant, and indeed mandatory

Although the courts of each jurisdiction which has enacted the Agreement are
to interpret and apply their own respective statutes, it is only in the courts of the
receiving party state (here New Jersey) that remedies are available for
noncompliance with the Agreement. As the remedy provided by the Agreement
for acts of noncompliance is dismissal of the indictment "with prejudice", it
follows that any allegations that the Agreement has been violated are to be
presented to and resolved by only the courts of the jurisdiction where the

indictment is pending. See Interstate Agreement on Detainers, Art. V(c); 18

U.S.C.A. Appendix (1975 Supp.); N.J.S.A. 2A:159A-5(c). Thus, even though
violation of the Agreement occurs in the sending jurisdiction, such as by failure
of the warden to comply with Art. III(c) in notifying the prisoner of the detainer
and of the prisoner's right to request a final disposition of the charges, the
Agreement anticipates that relief lies only in the courts of the receiving
jurisdiction. People v. Esposito, 37 Misc.2d 386, 201 N.Y.S.2d 83
(Cty.Ct.1960); see State v. West, 79 N.J.Super. 379, 191 A.2d 758
(App.Div.1963). But see King v. State, 5 Md.App. 652, 249 A.2d 468, 475
(1969) (No sanction provided for warden's failure to give prisoner required
notice under an Intrastate Detainer Act containing language similar to the
Interstate Agreement on Detainers)
5

See Majority Opinion at 833