Williams v. Maine Supreme Judicial Court Individual Justices
Williams v. Maine Supreme Judicial Court Individual Justices
Opinion of the Court
ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS
This case arises from Plaintiffs ongoing challenge to allegedly unlawful actions taken by Defendants in the course of Maine State Bar disciplinary proceedings against him. Now before the Court is the latest strand of a twisted web of filings made in this Court, the Maine Law Court, the District of Massachusetts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. A complete recitation of the facts and posture giving rise to this case is available in this Court’s Order Granting in Part Plaintiffs Motion (Pro Se) to Extend Time For Service of Process Against the Defendants (Docket Item No. 37).
For purposes of the present motion, the Court recites only the following relevant procedural history. A single justice of the Law Court entered a judgment disbarring
Plaintiff has now served Defendants with process in this action, as he was ordered to do by this Court (Docket Item No. 37). Defendants have moved to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) (Docket Item No. 42). Plaintiff suggests that because the Law Court has now stayed its proceedings, Younger is no longer applicable. This Court does not agree. First, the Younger test looks to the status of state court proceedings at the time the federal complaint is filed. See Maymo-Melendez v. Alvarez-Ramirez, 364 F.3d 27, 32 (1st Cir. 2004). Plaintiff filed his federal complaint before the Law Court issued a stay in its proceedings. Second, Younger and its progeny specifically provide that “a party may not procure federal intervention by terminating the state judicial process prematurely — forgoing the state appeal to attack the trial court’s judgment in federal court.” New Orleans Pub. Serv., Inc. v. Council of New Orleans, 491 U.S. 350, 369, 109 S.Ct. 2506, 105 L.Ed.2d 298 (1989). Furthermore, “once a state judicial proceeding ... [has] begun, the exhaustion of state judicial remedies ... [is] required by Younger.” Maymo-Melendez, 364 F.3d at 34 (1st Cir. 2004). It is abundantly clear that Plaintiff has not exhausted his state court remedies in the present action.
It is ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss be, and it is hereby, GRANTED,
. Moreover, the Court notes that the stay of state court proceedings was entered at Plaintiff’s request, and the Law Court's order explicitly states that it may lift the stay at any time.
. Although Plaintiff alleges racial bias on the part of the Single Justice, this Court finds no "concrete evidence" of bias sufficient to invoke any exception under Younger. See, e.g., Brooks v. N.H. Supreme Court, 80 F.3d 633, 640 (1st Cir. 1996).
. To the extent Plaintiff contends that any factual allegations set forth in his articulated federal claims assert claims under Maine law, the Court declines to exercise supplemental jurisdiction. See 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)(3) (expressly authorizing a district court to decline the exercise of supplemental jurisdiction when it "has dismissed all claims over which it has original jurisdiction”).
.This application of Younger obviates the need for this Court to presently consider the impact of the Roolcer-Feldman doctrine, see Rooker v. Fidelity Trust Co., 263 U.S. 413, 44 S.Ct. 149, 68 L.Ed. 362 (1923), andU.C. Court of Appeals v. Feldman, 460 U.S. 462, 103 S.Ct.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Charles G. WILLIAMS, III v. MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT INDIVIDUAL JUSTICES G. Steven Rowe, in his official capacity as Maine Attorney General Board of Bar Overseers, as an administrative agency and body in its official capacity Department of Attorney General, as an administrative agency in its official capacity
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published