Robinson v. Rapelje

Filing 4

ORDER of Summary Dismissal Without Prejudice. Signed by District Judge Denise Page Hood. (JOwe)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
SOUTHERN DIVISION
DESMOND ROBINSON,
Petitioner,
CASE NO. 2:13-CV-10722
HONORABLE DENISE PAGE HOOD
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

v.
THIRD CIRCUIT COURT,
Respondent.
_______________________________/

ORDER OF SUMMARY DISMISSAL WITHOUT PREJUDICE
This is a habeas corpus petition filed by a state prisoner. According the Michigan Department
of Corrections website, Petitioner is serving a 12-to-30 year sentence at the Michigan Reformatory
for his Wayne Circuit Court convictions of armed robbery and first-degree home invasion. The case
number for his custodial sentence is Wayne Circuit No. 12004787-01-FC. The petition appears to
challenge a different conviction, Wayne Circuit No. 11005391-02-FH. Petitioner describes this as
a September 15, 2011, guilty plea conviction of second-degree home invasion.
Petitioner only completed the first page of the twelve-page form petition. In a single attached
handwritten page, Petitioner states in full: “Desmond Robinson Number 808339 have a pending
probation violation and I want to go on a writ for the case. Case No. 11005391-02-FH.” The
petition is devoid of any other allegations.
Upon the filing of a habeas corpus petition, the Court must promptly examine the petition
to determine "[i]f it plainly appears from the petition and any attached exhibits that the petitioner
is not entitled to relief . . ." Rule 4, Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases. If the Court determines
that the petitioner is not entitled to relief, the Court shall summarily dismiss the petition. McFarland

v. Scott, 512 U.S. 849, 856 (1994) ("Federal courts are authorized to dismiss summarily any habeas
petition that appears legally insufficient on its face").
Habeas corpus petitioners must meet the heightened pleading standards set forth in the Rules
Governing Section 2254 Cases. McFarland v. Scott, 512 U.S. 849, 855 (1994). Rule 2 of the Rules
Governing Section 2254 Cases provides in relevant part that a habeas petition must:
(1) specify all the grounds for relief available to the petitioner;
(2) state the facts supporting each ground;
(3) state the relief requested;
Rule 2(c), Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases. In addition, the petition must "substantially
follow either the form appended to [the habeas] rules or a form prescribed by a local district court
rule. Habeas Rule 2(d). "A prime purpose of Rule 2(c)'s demand that habeas petitioners plead with
particularity is to assist the district court in determining whether the State should be ordered to 'show
cause why the writ should not be granted.'" Mayle v. Felix, 545 U.S. 644, 656 (2005) (citation
omitted). The Court has authority to dismiss before service any petition in which it plainly appears
that the petitioner is not entitled to relief. Rule 4, Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases.
The petition filed here does not meet the standards set forth in Rule 2 of the Habeas Rules.
The petition does not state any claims, it does not state any facts supporting grounds for relief, it
does not state whether Petitioner has attempted to exhaust his state court remedies, nor does it
substantially follow the form appended to the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases or the form used
by this district. Accordingly, the petition is dismissed without prejudice. See Edwards v. Johns, 450
F. Supp. 2d 755, 756 (E.D. Mich. 2006). If Petitioner wishes to pursue habeas relief, he must file
a petition that complies with Rule 2(c).

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Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons,
IT IS ORDERED, that the petition for a writ of habeas corpus is DISMISSED WITHOUT
PREJUDICE.

S/Denise Page Hood
Denise Page Hood
United States District Judge
Dated: March 14, 2013
I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing document was served upon counsel of record on March
14, 2013, by electronic and/or ordinary mail.
S/LaShawn R. Saulsberry
Case Manager

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