Stephen v. Hernandez et al

Filing 2

ORDER DISMISSING CASE without prejudice. If Petitioner wishes to proceed with this case, he must submit, no later than 4/15/08, a copy of this Order with the $5.00 fee or with adequate proof of his inability to pay the fee. Signed by Judge Larry Alan Burns on 2/29/08. (vrp)

Stephen v. Hernandez et al

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Case 3:08-cv-00357-LAB-BLM

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 v. HE RN AN DE Z, et al., Warden Res pon dent. P etitio n er, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas C o r p u s pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, but has failed to pay the $5.00 filing fee and has failed to mo ve to proceed in forma pauperis. FAILURE TO SATISFY FILING FEE REQUIREMENT B e c a u s e this Court cannot proceed until Petitioner has either paid the $5.00 filing fee or q u a l i fi e d to proceed in forma pauperis, the Court DISMISSES the case without prejudice. See Ru le 3(a), 28 U.S.C. foll. § 2254. If Petitioner wishes to proceed with this case, he must submit, n o later than April 15, 2008, a copy of this Order with the $5.00 fee or with adequate proof of his inability to pay the fee. /// /// /// /// J IM M I E STEPHEN, Petitioner, O R D E R DISMISSING CASE WITHOUT PREJUDICE C i v i l No. 0 8-0 35 7 LAB (BLM) U N I T ED STATES DISTRICT COURT S O U T H E R N DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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F AI L U R E TO STATE A COGNIZABLE FEDERAL CLAIM Additionally, in accordance with Rule 4 of the rules governing § 2254 cases, Petitioner h a s failed to allege that his state court conviction or sentence violates the Constitution of the U n i t e d States. Title 28, United States Code, § 2254(a), sets forth the following scope of review for f e d e r a l habeas corpus claims: T h e Supreme Court, a Justice thereof, a circuit judge, or a district co u rt shall entertain an application for a writ of habeas corpus in beha lf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State c o u rt only on the ground that he is in custody in violation of the C o n s t i t u t i o n or laws or treaties of the United States. 2 8 U.S.C. § 2254(a) (emphasis added). See Hernandez v. Ylst, 930 F.2d 714, 719 (9th Cir. 1991) ; Mannhalt v. Reed, 847 F.2d 576, 579 (9th Cir. 1988); Kealohapauole v. Shimoda, 800 F . 2 d 1463, 1464-65 (9th Cir. 1986). Thus, to present a cognizable federal habeas corpus claim u n d e r § 2254, a state prisoner must allege both that he is in custody pursuant to a "judgment of a State court," and that he is in custody in "violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the U n i t e d States." See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a). Here, Petitioner claims that the Court erred in dismissing several of his civil rights c o m p l a i n t s , filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983; and counting the dismissals as strikes under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). (See Pet. at 6, 7, 9, 11.) In no way does Petitioner claim he is "in custody in violation o f the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States." 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Moreover, Petitio n er's claims are not cognizable on habeas because the do not challenge the constitutional validity or duration of Petitioner's confinement. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a); Preiser v. Rodriguez, 4 1 1 U.S. 475, 500 (1973); Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 480-85 (1994). "Section 2254 a p p l i es only to collateral attacks on state court judgments." McGuire v. Blubaum, 376 F. Supp. 284, 285 (D. Ariz. 1974). F A I L U R E TO ALLEGE EXHAUSTION OF STATE COURT REMEDIES F u rth er, the Court notes that Petitioner cannot simply amend his Petition to state a federal h a b e a s claim and then refile the amended petition in this case. He must exhaust state judicial r e m e d i e s before bringing his claims via federal habeas. State prisoners who wish to challenge -2-

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their state court conviction must first exhaust state judicial remedies. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b), (c); G r a n b e r r y v. Greer, 481 U.S. 129, 133-34 (1987). To exhaust state judicial remedies, a Calif ornia state prisoner must present the California Supreme Court with a fair opportunity to rule on the merits of every issue raised in his or her federal habeas petition. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b), (c); Granberry, 481 U.S. at 133-34. Moreover, to properly exhaust state court j u d i c ia l remedies a petitioner must allege, in state court, how one or more of his or her federal rights have been violated. The Supreme Court in Duncan v. Henry, 513 U.S. 364 (1995) r e a s o n e d : "If state courts are to be given the opportunity to correct alleged violations of p r i s o n er s ' federal rights, they must surely be alerted to the fact that the prisoners are asserting c la im s under the United States Constitution." Id. at 365-66 (emphasis added). For example, "[i]f a habeas petitioner wishes to claim that an evidentiary ruling at a state court trial denied him t h e due process of law guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, he must say so, not only in f e d e r a l court, but in state court." Id. (emphasis added). A d d itio na lly, the Court cautions Petitioner that under the Antiterrorism and Effective De ath Penalty Act of 1996 (Act), signed into law on April 24, 1996, a one-year period of l i m it a t io n shall apply to a petition for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant t o the judgment of a State court. The limitation period shall run from the latest of: ( A ) the date on which the judgment became final by the c o n c l u s io n of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking s uc h review; ( B ) the date on which the impediment to filing an application c r e a te d by State action in violation of the Constitution or laws of the U n i t e d States is removed, if the applicant was prevented from filing b y such State action; ( C ) the date on which the constitutional right asserted was initially recognized by the Supreme Court, if the right has been new ly recognized by the Supreme Court and made retroactively a p p l i ca b l e to cases on collateral review; or ( D ) the date on which the factual predicate of the claim or c l a im s presented could have been discovered through the exercise o f due diligence. 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A)-(D) (West Supp. 2002). /// -3-

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T h e Court also notes that the statute of limitations does not run while a properly filed state h a b e a s corpus petition is pending. 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2); see Nino v. Galaza, 183 F.3d 1003, 1 0 0 6 (9th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1104 (2000). But see Artuz v. Bennett, 531 U.S. 4, 8 (2000) (holding that "an application is `properly filed' when its delivery and acceptance [by t h e appropriate court officer for placement into the record] are in compliance with the applicable l aw s and rules governing filings."). However, absent some other basis for tolling, the statute of l i m it a t io n s does run while a federal habeas petition is pending. Duncan v. Walker, 533 U.S. 167, 181-8 2 (2001). F A IL U R E TO NAME A PROPER RESPONDENT Fi na lly, review of the Petition reveals that Petitioner has failed to name a proper resp ond ent. On federal habeas, a state prisoner must name the state officer having custody of him as the respondent. Ortiz-Sandoval v. Gomez, 81 F.3d 891, 894 (9th Cir. 1996) (citing Rule 2(a), 28 U.S.C. foll. § 2254). "The `state officer having custody' may be `either the warden of t h e institution in which the petitioner is incarcerated . . . or the chief officer in charge of state p e n a l institutions.'" Id. (quoting Rule 2(a), 28 U.S.C. foll. § 2254 advisory committee's note). H e r e , Petitioner incorrectly named "Hernandez," "IRS," "Rhodes," "Lacy," "Shear," and " T h e Attorney General of the State of California" as Respondents. None of these parties has c u s t o d y over Petitioner, who id confined at California Men's Colony. In order for this Court to enterta in the Petition filed in this action, Petitioner must name the warden currently in charge o f the state correctional facility in which Petitioner is presently confined or the Director of the Calif ornia Department of Corrections. Brittingham v. United States, 982 F.2d 378, 379 (9th Cir. 199 2) (per curiam). CONCLUSION B a s e d on the foregoing, the Petition is DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to s a t is f y the filing fee requirement, failure to state a cognizable federal habeas corpus claim, failure to allege exhaustion of state judicial remedies and failure to name a proper respondent. In order to have this case reopened, Petitioner must, no later than April 15, 2008, (1) either /// -4-

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p a y the filing fee or provide adequate proof of his inability to pay and (2) file a First Amended P e t i ti o n which curies the deficiencies discussed above. For Petitioner's convenience, the Clerk o f Court shall attach to this Order a blank application to proceed in forma pauperis and a blank F ir st Amended Petition form. I T IS SO ORDERED.

D A T E D : February 29, 2008

H ONORABLE LARRY ALAN BURNS U n i t e d States District Judge

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