Holbrook v. State of Michigan
Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
CHARLES HOLBROOK, ) ) Petitioner, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. 21-3104 (UNA) ) ) STATE OF MICHIGAN, ) ) Respondent. )
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Charles Holbrook (“petitioner”) is incarcerated at the St. Louis Correctional Facility in
St. Louis, Michigan. This matter is before the Court on consideration of petitioner’s complaint
(ECF No. 1) and four additional submissions (ECF Nos. 2-5), which together are construed as a
petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Notwithstanding the near total absence of factual allegations
in the petition, it is clear that petitioner believes his current custody is unlawful. Petitioner, who
denies having committed a crime, asks this Court to entertain a challenge to his criminal
convictions and to release him from Michigan’s custody.
The Court notes that the Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed petitioner’s
convictions, see People v. Holbrook, No. 298869,
2011 WL 5064266(Mich. Ct. App. Oct. 25,
2011) (unpublished), and the merits of petitioner’s prior petition for a writ of habeas corpus
under
28 U.S.C. § 2254have been addressed by the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Michigan, see Holbrook v. Rapelje, No. 2:13-CV-13137 (E.D. Mich. Apr. 1, 2016).
Further, the Court notes that the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied
petitioner’s successive habeas petitions, and that petitioner’s many attempts to challenge his
1 conviction under
42 U.S.C. § 1983have been unsuccessful. See Holbrook v. Michigan, No.
2:21-CV-12579,
2021 WL 5741271, at *1 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 2, 2021) (citing cases).
The proper respondent in a habeas corpus action is petitioner’s custodian, Rumsfeld v.
Padilla,
542 U.S. 426, 434-35(2004), and this “district court may not entertain a habeas petition
involving present physical custody unless the respondent custodian is within its territorial
jurisdiction,” Stokes v. U.S. Parole Comm’n,
374 F.3d 1235, 1239(D.C. Cir. 2004). Neither the
petitioner nor his custodian is found in the District of Columbia. To the extent petitioner
articulates a viable claim, this Court is not the proper forum for its resolution.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan issued an Order
“enjoin[ing] and restrain[ing him] from filing anything further in the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Michigan relating in any way to his . . . state court conviction without
either first making a written request for and receiving a court order from the Presiding or Chief
Judge authorizing the filing, or permission from the Sixth Circuit to file a successive habeas
petition.” Order Striking Filings and Enjoining Plaintiff from Further Filings Without First
Seeking and Obtaining Leave of Court, Holbrook v. Michigan, No. 2:20-CV-10205 (E.D. Mich.
June 15, 2020) at 3. Ordinarily, this Court would consider transfer of a habeas action to the
district where petitioner and his custodian are located. In light of petitioner’s injunction order,
however, this petition will be denied without prejudice. An Order is issued separately.
DATE: December 21, 2021 /s/ COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY United States District Judge
2
Reference
- Status
- Published