Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_11-cv-00548/USCOURTS-azd-4_11-cv-00548-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:2241 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Federal)

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Maan Yousef, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Conrad Graber, 

Defendant. 

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

No. 11-CV-548-TUC-RCC

ORDER

Before the Court is Petitioner’s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus pursuant to 28

U.S.C. §2241, filed on August 31, 2011 (Doc. 1). Petitioner claims that his constitutional

rights were violated when staff at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI)-Manchester

subjected him to discrimination as an Arab-American and charged him with false disciplinary

violations in retaliation for utilizing the Administrative Remedy Program to address his

complaints. Petitioner alleges that the false disciplinary convictions resulted in his transfer

to a new facility and could affect his ability to seek early termination of supervised release.

Petitioner seeks to have the disciplinary convictions expunged. Magistrate Judge Velasco

issued a Report and Recommendation (Doc. 21) on April 2, 2012, recommending that this

Court dismiss Petitioner’s claims for lack of jurisdiction. Petitioner timely filed objections

(Doc. 22) and Respondent did not file a response to the objections within the allotted time.

The duties of the district court in connection with a R&R are set forth in Rule 72 of

the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and 28 U .S.C. § 636(b)(1). The district court may

Case 4:11-cv-00548-RCC Document 23 Filed 05/15/12 Page 1 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

- 2 -

“accept, reject, or modify the recommended disposition; receive further evidence; or return

the matter to the magistrate judge with instructions. FED.R.CIV.P. 72(b)(3); 28 U.S.C. §

636(b)(1). The Court will not disturb a Magistrate Judge's Order unless his factual findings

are clearly erroneous or his legal conclusions are contrary to law. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A).

“[T]he magistrate judge's decision ... is entitled to great deference by the district court.”

United States v. Abonce-Barrera, 257 F.3d 959, 969 (9th Cir.2001). Where the parties object

to a R&R, “[a] judge of the [district] court shall make a de novo determination of those

portions of the [R&R] to which objection is made.” 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1); see Thomas v.

Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 149-50 (1985). When no objection is filed, the district court need not

review the R&R de novo. Wang v. Masaitis, 416 F.3d 992, 1000 n. 13 (9th Cir. 2005);

United States v. Reyna-Tapia, 328 F.3d 1114, 1121-22 (9th Cir. 2003) (en banc). 

In the Report and Recommendation (R&R) (Doc. 21), Magistrate Judge Velasco

found that the district court lacks jurisdiction to hear Petitioner’s case because Petitioner’s

conspiracy claims are improperly brought in a habeas action. The Magistrate Judge also

recommended that the district court dismiss Petitioner’s challenges to the incident reports as

moot because the reports no longer represent live cases or controversies. Petitioner’s

objection states that he never received certain documents filed by Respondent and that the

Magistrate Judge’s determination was based on incomplete information. Specifically,

Petitioner alleges that the Magistrate Judge was unaware of Petitioner’s pending motion for

relief under the “Crack Amendment” in the Northern District of Ohio.

Habeas corpus is not available to challenge an inmate’s conditions of confinement

unless such conditions have an impact on the legality or duration of the confinement.

Ramirez v. Gadaza, 334 F.3d 850, 859 (9th Cir. 2003). Even if Petitioner’s conspiracy claim

was successful, it would not result in any impact on the legality or duration of Petitioner’s

confinement, and thus this Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter. Petitioner’s claims are

more appropriately brought as a civil rights claim. Further, once a challenged punishment

is withdrawn or completed, the district court no longer has jurisdiction to rule on the issue.

Wilson v. Terhune, 319 F.3d 477, 479, 481-482 (9th Cir. 2003). When Petitioner filed his

Case 4:11-cv-00548-RCC Document 23 Filed 05/15/12 Page 2 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

- 3 -

petition, the disciplinary actions he was challenging had already been completed. 

Moreover, the Court is not persuaded by Petitioner’s argument that his motion for

relief under the “Crack Amendment” will establish collateral consequences that would entitle

him to relief. Petitioner alleges that he may be granted a hearing and/or resentencing in the

future based on his motion for relief under the “Crack Amendment” and that the three

incident reports in his file may affect his chances of getting his sentence reduced. He further

alleges that these reports may result in an additional four years of supervised released once

his sentence is completed. At this point, any impact that the challenged incident reports may

have on Petitioner’s sentence or conditions of supervised release is too speculative for this

Court to find that Petitioner has demonstrated collateral consequences. See id. at 481.

Finally, the order submitted by Respondent indicates that Petitioner’s sentence was based on

powder cocaine and not crack cocaine. Therefore, even if the Court expunged the

disciplinary violations, Petitioner is not entitled to relief under the “Crack Amendments.”

Before Petitioner can appeal this Court's judgment, a certificate of appealability must

issue. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c); Fed.R.App. P. 22(b)(1). Federal Rule of Appellate

Procedure 22(b) requires the district court that rendered a judgment denying a petition made

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 to “either issue a certificate of appealability or state why a

certificate should not issue.” Additionally, 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2) provides that a certificate

may issue “only if the applicant has made a substantial showing of the denial of a

constitutional right.” In the certificate, the court must indicate which specific issues satisfy

this showing. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(3). A substantial showing is made when the

resolution of an issue of appeal is debatable among reasonable jurists, if courts could resolve

the issues differently, or if the issue deserves further proceedings. See Slack v. McDaniel,

529 U.S. 473, 484–85, 120 S.Ct. 1595, 146 L.Ed.2d 542 (2000). Upon review of the record,

and in light of the standards for granting a certificate of appealability, the Court concludes

that a certificate shall not issue as the resolution of the petition is not debatable among

reasonable jurists and does not deserve further proceedings. Accordingly,

IT IS ORDERED Magistrate Judge Velasco’s Report and Recommendation (Doc.

Case 4:11-cv-00548-RCC Document 23 Filed 05/15/12 Page 3 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

- 4 -

21) is hereby ACCEPTED and ADOPTED as the findings of fact and conclusions of law

by this Court. 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED denying Petitioner’s Petitioner for Writ of Habeas

Corpus (Doc. 1). 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED Petitioner’s conspiracy claims are dismissed without

prejudice for lack of jurisdiction with leave to file under the appropriate civil rights laws.

The Clerk of the Court shall send Petitioner an appropriate form for filing civil rights claims.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED Petitioner’s claims challenging the disciplinary

violations are dismissed as moot. 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED the Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment

accordingly and close this case.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED the Court declines to issue a Certificate of

Appealability. 

DATED this 14th day of May, 2012.

Case 4:11-cv-00548-RCC Document 23 Filed 05/15/12 Page 4 of 4