Secretary of justice v lantion

Due Process
Mark Jimenez was charged of multiple crimes ranging from tax
evasion to wire tapping to conspiracy to defraud the USA. Jimenez
was then wanted in the US. The US government, pursuant to the
RP-US extradition treaty requested to have Jimenez be extradited
there. Jimenez requested for a copy of the complaint against him
as well as the extradition request by the USA. The DOJ sec refused
to provide him copy thereof advising that it is still premature to
give him so and that it is not a preliminary investigation hence he
is not entitled to receive such copies. Jimenez sued the DOJ Sec
and the lower court ruled in favor of Jimenez.

ISSUE: Whether or not Jimenez is deprived of due process.

HELD: The SC affirmed the ruling of the lower court. The case
against Jimenez refer to an impending threat of deprivation of
ones property or property right. No less is this true, but even
more so in the case before us, involving as it does the possible
deprivation of liberty, which, based on the hierarchy of
constitutionally protected rights, is placed second only to life itself
and enjoys precedence over property, for while forfeited property
can be returned or replaced, the time spent in incarceration is
irretrievable and beyond recompense.