Nelson v. George

Mr. Justice Harlan, with whom Mr. Justice Marshall joins,

concurring.

I join the Court’s opinion with the following observations. First, I do not understand the Court to suggest that respondent’s failure to exhaust state remedies with respect to his claim that California is giving a constitutionally impermissible effect to his North Carolina conviction, rendered it improper for the federal courts to consider his challenge to the validity of the North Carolina conviction to the extent that he had exhausted North Carolina remedies with respect thereto. Second, agreeing with the reasons given by the Court for not reaching the propriety of the Court of Appeals’ resolution of respondent’s challenge to the North Carolina conviction, I would dismiss that part of the writ as improvidently granted. Third, pending the congressional action that the Court’s opinion envisages, I think it not inappropriate to leave undisturbed such conflicts as exist between the decision of the Court of Appeals in the present case and decisions in other circuits, see Word v. North Carolina, 406 F. 2d 352 (C. A. 4th Cir. 1969); United States ex rel. Van Scoten v. Pennsylvania, 404 F. 2d 767 (C. A. 3d Cir. 1968), respecting the proper treatment of habeas corpus claims such as those involved in respondent’s challenge in the California courts to the validity of his North Carolina conviction.