Steven Clayton Thomason v. Attorney General, State of Alabama
Steven Clayton Thomason v. Attorney General, State of Alabama
Opinion
USCA11 Case: 20-12685 Date Filed: 10/13/2021 Page: 1 of 4
[DO NOT PUBLISH]
In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________
No. 20-12685 Non-Argument Calendar ____________________
STEVEN CLAYTON THOMASON,
Petitioner-Appellant,
versus
STATE OF ALABAMA HOME BUILDERS LICENSURE BOARD,
Respondent, USCA11 Case: 20-12685 Date Filed: 10/13/2021 Page: 2 of 4
2 Opinion of the Court 20-12685
ATTORNEY GENERAL, STATE OF ALABAMA,
Respondent-Appellee.
____________________
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama D.C. Docket Nos. 2:19-cv-00160-MHT-CSC ____________________
Before JILL PRYOR, LUCK, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Steven Thomason appeals the district court’s denial of his Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(c) motion and his motion to reconsider in his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 proceedings, which resulted in his § 2254 petition be- ing dismissed for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. He argues that the district court erred in denying his Rule 52(c) motion because he alleged sufficient facts in his § 2254 petition that would allow the district court to make partial findings necessary to find that he was entitled to habeas relief. USCA11 Case: 20-12685 Date Filed: 10/13/2021 Page: 3 of 4
20-12685 Opinion of the Court 3
“Whether a petitioner is in custody pursuant to the judg- ment of a State court is a jurisdictional question” we review de novo. Diaz v. State of Fla. Fourth Jud. Cir. ex rel. Duval Cty., 683 F.3d 1261, 1263 (11th Cir. 2012) (quotation marks omitted). Where we have jurisdiction, we review the district court’s denial of a mo- tion for entry of Rule 52(c) final judgment for an abuse of discre- tion. See In re Fisher Island Inv., Inc., 778 F.3d 1172, 1198 (11th Cir. 2015) (noting court’s discretion in deciding whether to grant Rule 52(c) motion).
Rule 52(c) provides as follows: If a party has been fully heard on an issue during a nonjury trial and the court finds against the party on that issue, the court may enter judgment against the party on a claim or defense that, under the controlling law, can be maintained or defeated only with a favor- able finding on that issue. The court may, however, decline to render any judgment until the close of the evidence. A judgment on partial findings must be supported by findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Rule 52(a). Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(c).
Here, the district court did not err or otherwise abuse its dis- cretion in denying Thomason’s Rule 52(c) motion or the motion for reconsideration. There was never a bench trial or judicial fact- finding necessary for the district court to make a judgment on USCA11 Case: 20-12685 Date Filed: 10/13/2021 Page: 4 of 4
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partial findings. Thomason was not entitled to the district court using the Rule 52(c) motion to revisit his claims in his § 2254 peti- tion or to any other relief via that motion because the district court dismissed the petition for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. AFFIRMED.
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished