Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_19-cv-07661/USCOURTS-cand-3_19-cv-07661-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

---

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

1

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MICHAEL BALZARINI,

Petitioner,

v.

JOE A. LIZARRAGA,

Respondent.

No. 2:19-cv-01199 GGH P

ORDER

Petitioner, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus 

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Petitioner has not, however, filed an in forma pauperis affidavit or 

paid the required filing fee ($5.00). See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914(a); 1915(a). Petitioner will be 

provided the opportunity to either submit the appropriate affidavit in support of a request to 

proceed in forma pauperis or submit the appropriate filing fee.

Rule 2 of the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases provides that the petition: “shall 

specify all the grounds for relief which are available to the petitioner and of which he has or by 

the exercise of reasonable diligence should have knowledge and shall set forth in summary form 

the facts supporting each of the grounds thus specified.” Rule 2(c), Rules Governing Section 

2254 Cases. Petitioner must also clearly state the relief sought in the petition. Id. Additionally, 

the Advisory Committee Notes to Rule 4 explains that “notice pleading is not sufficient, for the 

////

Case 3:19-cv-07661-RS Document 3 Filed 07/19/19 Page 1 of 3
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

petition is expected to state facts that point to a real possibility of constitutional error.” Advisory 

Committee Notes to Rule 4; see Blackledge v. Allison, 431 U.S. 63, 75, n.7 (1977).

Here, petitioner fails to specify the grounds for relief and instead refers the court and 

respondent to “see claims” in his 84-page petition. In its current form, the petition is a hybrid of 

grounds challenging petitioner’s conditions of confinement based on deprivation of his prison 

property and grounds challenging particulars affecting the duration of confinement based on a 

loss of time credits. The former challenges are properly brought as an action pursuant to 42 

U.S.C. § 1983, whereas the latter challenges relating to particulars affecting the duration of 

confinement fall within the province of habeas corpus. See Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 

498–99 (1973). Petitioner will be provided an opportunity to amend his petition to allege grounds 

that entitle him to habeas relief in the district court. “[A] claim for relief in habeas corpus must 

include reference to a specific federal constitutional guarantee, as well as a statement of the facts 

which entitle the petitioner to relief.” Gray v. Netherland, 518 U.S. 152, 116 S. Ct. 2074, 2081 

(1996). 

Accordingly, the petition fails to comply with Rule 2(c), Rules Governing Section 2254 

Cases. Therefore, the petition is dismissed with leave to amend. Rule 4, Rules Governing 

Section 2254 Cases. Petitioner must take care to not include in his amended petition claims 

challenging the conditions of petitioner’s prison life, as a writ of habeas corpus is not the 

appropriate vehicle for relief challenging his prison conditions. Instead, in the amended petition, 

petitioner must set forth each claim for habeas relief and summarize the facts he alleges support 

each of the identified claims. Moreover, petitioner must show that he has exhausted his state 

court remedies with respect to each of the grounds raised. 

In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Petitioner shall submit, within thirty days from the date of this order, an affidavit in 

support of his request to proceed in forma pauperis or the appropriate filing fee; petitioner’s 

failure to comply with this order will result in a recommendation that this action be dismissed; 

////

////

Case 3:19-cv-07661-RS Document 3 Filed 07/19/19 Page 2 of 3
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

2. Petitioner’s application for writ of habeas corpus is dismissed with leave to amend 

within thirty days from the date of this order;1

3. Any amended petition must bear the case number assigned to this action and the title 

“Amended Petition”; and

4. The Clerk of the Court is directed to send petitioner a copy of the in forma pauperis 

form used by this district and the court’s form application for writ of habeas corpus.

Dated: July 19, 2019

 /s/ Gregory G. Hollows

 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

 1

 By setting this deadline the court is making no finding or representation that the petition is not 

subject to dismissal as untimely.

Case 3:19-cv-07661-RS Document 3 Filed 07/19/19 Page 3 of 3