In 1983, indigent aliens who had been detained as material witnesses filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, challenging the government's refusal to appointment them counsel. Petitioners had been detained by the federal government ...
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In 1983, indigent aliens who had been detained as material witnesses filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, challenging the government's refusal to appointment them counsel. Petitioners had been detained by the federal government as material witnesses, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ยง 3144, for the criminal prosecution of those persons charged with transporting them across the border.
The Court granted Petitioners' motion for partial summary judgment and ordered the judges of the Western District of Texas to take immediate steps to draft and implement a plan to provide representation to persons the government sought to detain as material witnesses. In re Class Action Application for Habeas Corpus ex rel. All Material Witnesses in the Western District of Texas, 612 F.Supp. 940 (W.D.Tex.1985).
Dan Dalton - 10/16/2007
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