Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_11-cv-05564/USCOURTS-cand-3_11-cv-05564-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (State)

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ERIC ARDOIN,

Plaintiff,

v.

MIKE MCDONALD,

Defendant.

Case No. 11-cv-05564-EMC 

ORDER REOPENING ACTION; AND 

GRANTING PETITION FOR WRIT OF 

HABEAS CORPUS

Petitioner, a state prisoner, filed this habeas corpus action under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 in this 

Court to challenge the murder conviction he received in 2007 in the San Francisco County 

Superior Court, for which he received a sentence of 85 years to life in state prison. He raised 

several claims in his habeas petition. In one claim, he alleged that the trial court violated his Sixth 

Amendment right to counsel when it refused to reopen closing arguments after supplemental 

instructions had been given to the jury after deliberations had started. This Court denied this and 

all other claims in the petition and entered judgment in favor of Respondent on February 13, 2013. 

(Docket Nos. 21 and 22.) 

Petitioner appealed. The Ninth Circuit, on May 4, 2016, reversed this Court’s judgment 

regarding Petitioner’s Sixth Amendment claim,1and remanded the action to this Court with 

instructions to issue the writ ordering the state to retry Petitioner within a reasonable time or to 

release him. (Docket No. 32.) On June 27, 2016, the appellate court denied petitions for rehearing 

and for rehearing en banc, withdrew the previous memorandum disposition and replaced it with 

another. (Docket Nos. 33 and 34.) The new disposition directed this Court to issue the writ 

 

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The Ninth Circuit declined to address the other claims in the petition. 

Case 3:11-cv-05564-EMC Document 37 Filed 08/04/16 Page 1 of 2
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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

ordering the state to retry Petitioner within a reasonable time or to release him. (Docket No. 34.) 

The Ninth Circuit issued its mandate on July 20, 2016. (Docket No. 35.)

Therefore, the case is REOPENED and the petition for writ of habeas corpus is 

GRANTED. Respondent shall release Petitioner unless the state commences proceedings to retry 

him within ninety (90) days of this order. This Court shall retain jurisdiction over this action until 

the opinions of this Court and the Ninth Circuit are implemented.

The Clerk shall send a copy of this order and the Ninth Circuit’s orders (Docket Nos. 32, 

33, 34 and 35) to Petitioner by U.S. Mail, and to Petitioner’s attorney and Respondent’s attorney 

by electronic filing (ECF/E-filing). Respondent shall file a report on the status of this action when 

it commences criminal proceedings against Petitioner, or within sixty (60) days from the date of 

this order, whichever occurs earlier. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: August 4, 2016

______________________________________

EDWARD M. CHEN

United States District Judge

Case 3:11-cv-05564-EMC Document 37 Filed 08/04/16 Page 2 of 2