Tubbs v. Attorney General of the State of Ohio

District Court, N.D. Ohio

Tubbs v. Attorney General of the State of Ohio

Trial Court Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO EASTERN DIVISION

JERMAINE TUBBS, ) Case No. 4:21-cv-00925 ) Petitioner, ) Judge J. Philip Calabrese ) v. ) Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Parker ) THOMAS SCHWEITZER, Warden, ) ) Respondent. ) )

ORDER Before the Court is the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation (ECF No. 9) filed on December 7, 2022. The Magistrate Judge recommends that the Court deny Petitioner Jermaine Tubbs’ petition for a writ of habeas corpus without granting a certificate of appealability. Mr. Tubbs did not object to that recommendation. The Report and Recommendation advised both parties that a failure to object within 14 days may result in waiver of rights on appeal, which includes the right to review before the Court. (See id., PageID #1100–01.) Under the law of this Circuit, “failure to object to a magistrate judge’s Report and Recommendation results in a waiver of appeal on that issue as long as the magistrate judge informs parties of that potential waiver.” United States v. Wandahsega,

924 F.3d 868, 878

(6th Cir. 2019) (emphasis added); United States v. Walters,

638 F.2d 947

, 949–50 (6th Cir. 1981); see also Thomas v. Arn,

474 U.S. 140, 152

(1985) (holding that the Sixth Circuit’s waiver rule is within its supervisory powers and “[t]here is no indication that Congress, in enacting § 636(b)(1)(C), intended to require a district judge to review a magistrate’s report to which no objections are filed”). Recently, the Sixth Circuit clarified this rule: failure to object is not a waiver,

but a forfeiture. Berkshire v. Beauvais,

928 F.3d 520, 530

(6th Cir. 2019) (“We clarify that forfeiture, rather than waiver, is the relevant term here.”). This is so because “[w]aiver is different than forfeiture.” United States v. Olando,

507 U.S. 725, 733

(1993); Freytag v. Commissioner,

501 U.S. 868

, 894 n.2 (1991) (Scalia, J., concurring) (noting the Supreme Court’s cases “often used [waiver and forfeiture] interchangeably,” but that “[t]he two are really not the same.”). This difference

matters because forfeited issues may, in certain circumstances, nevertheless be considered on appeal.” Berkshire,

928 F.3d at 530

(citing Harris v. Klare,

902 F.3d 630

, 635–36 (6th Cir. 2018)). In any event, the time for filing objections to the Report and Recommendation has passed. Petitioner neither objected, nor provided some legitimate reason why he failed to do so. Further, upon the Court’s independent review of the record, there does not appear to be clear error in the Magistrate Judge’s Report and

Recommendation. Therefore, the Court ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation (ECF No. 9) and DISMISSES the action WITH PREJUDICE. The Court further DIRECTS the Clerk to enter judgment accordingly. SO ORDERED. Dated: January 18, 2023

J. Philip Calabrese United States District Judge Northern District of Ohio

Reference

Status
Unknown