Swanson v. Cooper et al

Filing 16

ORDER ACCEPTING THE REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION and overruling plaintiff's objections, for 9 Report and Recommendation, Signed by Chief Judge Terry L Wooten on April 7, 2017. (kbos)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Case No. 8:16-3238-TLW

Melvin Earl Swanson, a/k/a Melvin E.
Swanson,
PLAINTIFF
v.

ORDER

Charles Cooper, Thalia D. Cooper, County of
Pickens,
DEFENDANTS
Plaintiff Melvin Earl Swanson, proceeding pro se, filed this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §
1983 alleging that Defendants violated his First Amendment, Second Amendment, and Fifth
Amendment Constitutional rights in various ways. ECF No. 1. The matter now comes before the
Court for review of the Report and Recommendation (R&R) filed by Magistrate Judge Rogers, to
whom this case was assigned. ECF No. 9. In the R&R, the Magistrate Judge recommends the
Complaint should be summarily dismissed without prejudice and without issuance of service of
process because it fails to state a cognizable claim upon which relief could be granted. Plaintiff
filed objections to the R&R. ECF Nos. 13, 14. This matter is now ripe for decision.
In reviewing the R&R, the Court applies the following standard:
The magistrate judge makes only a recommendation to the Court, to which any
party may file written objections . . . . The Court is not bound by the
recommendation of the magistrate judge but, instead, retains responsibility for the
final determination. The Court is required to make a de novo determination of those
portions of the report or specified findings or recommendation as to which an
objection is made. However, the Court is not required to review, under a de novo
or any other standard, the factual or legal conclusions of the magistrate judge as to
those portions of the report and recommendation to which no objections are
addressed. While the level of scrutiny entailed by the Court's review of the Report
thus depends on whether or not objections have been filed, in either case the Court
is free, after review, to accept, reject, or modify any of the magistrate judge's
findings or recommendations.

1

Wallace v. Hous. Auth. of City of Columbia, 791 F. Supp. 137, 138 (D.S.C. 1992) (citations
omitted).
In light of the standard set forth in Wallace, the Court has reviewed de novo the R&R and
Plaintiff’s objections, which focus on his assertion that he is the victim of a criminal conspiracy of
Judea-Mason Shriner judges against Muslims. ECF No. 14 at 1. After an appropriate review, the
R&R is ACCEPTED and Plaintiff’s objections are OVERRULED. Plaintiff’s Complaint is hereby
DISMISSED without prejudice and without issuance of service of process for the reasons stated
by the Magistrate Judge. 1
IT IS SO ORDERED.
s/ Terry L. Wooten
Chief United States District Judge
April 7, 2017
Columbia, South Carolina

1

After the R&R was filed, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint, ECF No. 15. Out of an
abundance of caution, the Court reviewed this filing and finds that it fails to cure the fundamental
deficiencies identified by the Magistrate Judge in the R&R. Therefore, the Amended Complaint
is summarily dismissed for the same reasons as his initial Complaint.
2