Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_09-cv-05033/USCOURTS-cand-4_09-cv-05033-0/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

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DEMETROIS T. DIXSON,

Petitioner,

 v.

JOHN MARSHALL, Warden,

Respondent. /

No. C 09-05033 CW (PR)

ORDER STAYING HABEAS

PROCEEDINGS; DIRECTING

PETITIONER TO FILE QUARTERLY

STATUS REPORTS; AND DIRECTING

CLERK TO ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSE

THIS CASE UNTIL THE COURT

ISSUES ORDER LIFTING STAY

Petitioner, a state prisoner, has filed this petition for a

writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 and an

application for leave to proceed in forma pauperis.

Petitioner has also filed a motion to stay his federal

petition while he exhausts his remedies in state court.

Prisoners in state custody who wish to challenge in federal

habeas proceedings either the fact or length of their confinement

are first required to exhaust state judicial remedies by presenting

the highest state court available with a fair opportunity to rule

on the merits of each and every claim they seek to raise in federal

court. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b),(c); Rose v. Lundy, 455 U.S. 509,

515-16 (1982). If available state remedies have not been exhausted

as to all claims, the district court must dismiss the petition. 

Id. at 510; Guizar v. Estelle, 843 F.2d 371, 372 (9th Cir. 1988). 

A dismissal solely for failure to exhaust is not a bar to returning

to federal court after exhausting available state remedies. See

Trimble v. City of Santa Rosa, 49 F.3d 583, 586 (9th Cir. 1995). 

Petitioners may seek a stay of the petition pursuant to Pace

v. DiGuglielmo, 125 S. Ct. 1807, 1813-14 (2005), under which a

Case 4:09-cv-05033-CW Document 8 Filed 03/17/10 Page 1 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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prisoner may file a protective petition in federal court and ask

the court to stay federal habeas proceedings until all state

remedies are exhausted. District courts have the authority to

issue stays, and the habeas statute does not deprive them of that

authority. Rhines v. Webber, 125 S. Ct. 1528, 1535 (2005). A stay

is appropriate where the district court determines that good cause

existed for the petitioner's failure to exhaust his claims in state

court, and that such claims are potentially meritorious. Id.; see

also Pace, 125 S. Ct. at 1813-14. 

Here, it appears that good cause exists for Petitioner's

failure to exhaust his claims on direct appeal because his claims

could be raised by way of state habeas corpus. Moreover, the

claims state cognizable bases for federal habeas relief. This is

Petitioner's first habeas petition, and there is no evidence that

he seeks the stay for improper purposes. See Fetterly v. Paskett,

997 F.2d 1295, 1301-02 (9th Cir. 1993) (holding that a stay for the

purpose of permitting exhaustion of unexhausted claims should be

granted only if the claims petitioner seeks to pursue are

cognizable under § 2254; there is a likelihood of prejudice to

petitioner if the stay is not granted; and there is no evidence

that the motion for a stay is brought to delay, vex, or harass, or

that the request is an abuse of the writ). Accordingly, the Court

GRANTS Petitioner's request for a stay.

These proceedings are hereby STAYED pending Petitioner's

exhaustion of his state judicial remedies. Petitioner must act

diligently in exhausting his state judicial remedies, or the stay

may be lifted. He must file quarterly reports describing the

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progress of his state court proceedings, commencing thirty (30)

days from the date of this Order and continuing every ninety (90)

days thereafter until his state court proceedings are terminated. 

He must also attach to his status reports copies of the cover page

of any document that he files with or receives from the state

courts relating to the claims.

The Clerk of the Court shall ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSE the file

pending the stay of this action. Nothing further will take place

in this action until Petitioner receives a final decision from the

highest state court and, within thirty (30) days of doing so, moves

to reopen the action, lift the Court's stay and amend the stayed

petition to add the newly-exhausted claims. 

Petitioner's application to proceed in forma pauperis is

GRANTED. 

This Order terminates Docket nos. 6 and 7.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: 3/17/2010 

CLAUDIA WILKEN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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United States District Court

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DEMETROIS T. DIXSON,

Plaintiff,

 v.

JOHN MARSHALL et al,

Defendant. /

Case Number: CV09-05033 CW 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. District

Court, Northern District of California.

That on March 17, 2010, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said

copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing

said envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery

receptacle located in the Clerk's office.

Demetrois T. Dixson F-23400

California Men’s Colony State Prison

P.O. Box 8101

San Luis Obispo, CA 93409

Dated: March 17, 2010

Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: Sheilah Cahill, Deputy Clerk

Case 4:09-cv-05033-CW Document 8 Filed 03/17/10 Page 4 of 4