Womack v. Chiles
Opinion
FILED NOV 3 02009 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Clerk, U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts
JOE NATHAN WOMACK,
Plaintiff,
Civil Action No. v. 09 2263 JOYCE CHILES, et at.,
Defendants.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter comes before the Court on plaintiff s application to proceed in forma
pauperis and pro se complaint. The application will be granted and the complaint will be
dismissed.
Plaintiff "was indicted and convicted on (2) counts of armed robbery" in the Circuit Court
of LeFlore County, Mississippi. CompI. at 6 (page numbers designated by the Court); see id.,
Attach. (Indictment). According to plaintiff, the Assistant District Attorney conspired with his
appointed defense counsel to effect his unlawful incarceration. Id. at 4. He asks this Court "to
vacate [the] judgement [sic] of conviction and [to] release[] [him] from unconstitutional[]
confinement." Id. at 6.
It appears that plaintiff intends to challenge his Mississippi conviction and sentence, and
such a challenge properly is brought under
28 U.S.C. § 2254. This provision directs a federal
court to "entertain an application for a writ of habeas corpus in behalf of a person in custody
pursuant to the judgment of a State court only on the ground that he is in custody in violation of
the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States."
28 U.S.C. § 2254(a). Plaintiff may
1 bring such an application only "in the district court for the district wherein such person is in
custody or in the district court for the district within which the States court was held which
convicted and sentenced him[.]"
28 U.S.C. § 2241(d). Assuming without deciding that plaintiff
meets all other prerequisites for consideration of his application under
28 U.S.C. § 2254, the
Court will dismiss this action without prejudice as it is improperly addressed to this court instead
of a federal district court in Mississippi. See, e.g., Bates v. Lampton, No. 09-0735,
2009 WL 1073195, at *2 (D.D.C. Apr. 22, 2009) (construing the complaint in part as a request to reduce
plaintiffs sentence and dismissing it in part on the ground that it should have been brought in
another federal district court); McLaren v. United States,
2 F. Supp. 2d 48,50 n.3 (D.D.C. 1998)
(noting that habeas petition pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 2254should be brought in district in which
prisoners are incarcerated).
An Order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion will be issued separately on this
same date.
~~,~ United States District Judge Date: \ \ \ '2)01 O~
2
Reference
- Status
- Published