Peter James v. District Attorney York County, et al

Filing

NOT PRECEDENTIAL PER CURIAM OPINION Coram: AMBRO, JORDAN and KRAUSE, Circuit Judges. Total Pages: 3. BLD-110 Appellan'ts pending motions, including the motion for release are denied.

Case: 14-3887

Document: 003111887658

Page: 1

BLD-110

Date Filed: 02/25/2015

NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 14-3887
___________
PETER A. JAMES,
Appellant
v.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY YORK COUNTY;
DISTRICT ATTORNEY PHILADELPHIA;
THOMAS DECKER, Director for Detention;
SUPERINTENDENT HUNTINGDON SCI
____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
(D.C. Civil No. 13-cv-05619)
District Judge: Honorable Jeffrey L. Schmehl
____________________________________

Submitted for Possible Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)
or Summary Action Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6
February 12, 2015
Before: AMBRO, JORDAN and KRAUSE, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: February 25, 2015)
_________
OPINION*
_________

*

This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not
constitute binding precedent.

Case: 14-3887

Document: 003111887658

Page: 2

Date Filed: 02/25/2015

PER CURIAM
Peter James appeals from the District Court’s order denying his habeas petition
filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Because no substantial question is raised by the
appeal, we will summarily affirm the District Court’s judgment.
A federal district court has jurisdiction to hear a petition filed pursuant to § 2241
only if the petitioner is “in custody.” Maleng v. Cook, 490 U.S. 488, 490 (1989); VerdeRodriguez v. Att’y Gen., 734 F.3d 198, 204 n.4 (3d Cir. 2013). James was confined in
the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, a part of the Philadelphia Prison System, at
the time he filed his habeas petition. The petition alleged that he was being illegally
confined pursuant to detainers issued by York County and the Immigration Customs
Enforcement agency (“ICE”), even though he had posted bail in his criminal case, and an
Immigration Judge had granted him release on bond. The Magistrate Judge assigned to
the case recommended denying the petition because James was not in custody pursuant to
the detainers at the time he filed his petition, but was instead in custody for his state
criminal conviction.1 In his objections, James argued, among other things, that he should
be able to challenge the ICE detainer2 because he would be subject to ICE custody once
his criminal sentence is completed. But an immigration detainer, which simply gives a

1

At the time he filed his petition, his direct criminal appeal was pending. The judgment
of conviction since has been affirmed on appeal, see Commonwealth v. James, No. 2389
EDA 2013 (Aug. 19, 2014).
2

It appears that the York County detainer is also based on the possibility of ICE
detention.
2

Case: 14-3887

Document: 003111887658

Page: 3

Date Filed: 02/25/2015

prison notice that ICE is interested in the prisoner, is not sufficient to establish “custody”
for purposes of § 2241. See Zolicoffer v. Dep’t of Justice, 315 F.3d 538, 540-41 (5th Cir.
2003).
Because James was not in custody pursuant to the detainers at the time he filed his
§ 2241 petition, the District Court lacked jurisdiction to consider the petition.3 We will
thus affirm the District Court’s judgment.4

3

At the time James filed his petition, he was in custody pursuant to his state criminal
conviction, but it does not appear that he was attempting to challenge that conviction. In
any event, he could not have challenged his conviction in his petition, as the conviction
was still pending on appeal, see 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b)(1)(A); and § 2241 is not the proper
vehicle for challenging a state criminal conviction, see Coady v. Vaughn, 251 F.3d 480,
484-85 (3d Cir. 2001).
4

James’s pending motions, including his motion for release, are denied.
3