Alfaro v. Hartley
Filing
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ORDER TRANSFERRING CASE to the United States District Court for the Central District of California signed by Magistrate Judge Sandra M. Snyder on 6/20/2011. (Jessen, A)
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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ASAEL A. ALFARO,
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1:11-cv-00997-SMS (HC)
Petitioner,
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ORDER TRANSFERRING CASE TO
THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF
CALIFORNIA
vs.
JAMES D. HARTLEY,
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Respondent.
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/
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Petitioner, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed a habeas corpus action pursuant to 28
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U.S.C. § 2254, in which he challenges a decision reached by the Board of Prison Terms regarding his
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suitability for parole. Petitioner has submitted an application to proceed in forma pauperis for this
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action.
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The federal venue statute requires that a civil action, other than one based on diversity
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jurisdiction, be brought only in “(1) a judicial district where any defendant resides, if all defendants
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reside in the same state, (2) a judicial district in which a substantial part of the events or omissions
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giving rise to the claim occurred, or a substantial part of the property that is the subject of the action
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is situated, or (3) a judicial district in which any defendant may be found, if there is no district in
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which the action may otherwise be brought.” 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b).
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In a habeas matter, venue is proper in either the district of conviction or the district of
confinement. 28 U.S.C. § 2241(d). Where a petitioner attacks the execution of his sentence, the
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proper forum in which to review such a claim is the district of confinement. See Dunn v. Henman,
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875 F.2d 244, 249 (9th Cir. 1989) (stating, in a 28 U.S.C. § 2241 action, that "[t]he proper forum to
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challenge the execution of a sentence is the district where the prisoner is confined.").
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In this case, petitioner was sentenced in Los Angeles County Superior Court, which is located
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within the Eastern District of California. He is currently incarcerated at Chuckawalla Valley State
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Prison, in Riverside County, which lies within the Central District of California. Because the instant
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petition is premised on events relating to Petitioner's parole proceedings, the court construes it as a
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challenge to the execution of petitioner's sentence, as opposed to an attack on the conviction itself.
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Thus, this matter should be addressed in the forum where petitioner is confined. Therefore, the
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petition should have been filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of
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California. In the interest of justice, a federal court may transfer a case filed in the wrong district to
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the correct district. See 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a); Starnes v. McGuire, 512 F.2d 918, 932 (D.C. Cir.
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1974).
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Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this matter is transferred to the United States
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District Court for the Central District of California.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated:
23ehd0
June 20, 2011
/s/ Sandra M. Snyder
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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