Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_10-cv-01361/USCOURTS-casd-3_10-cv-01361-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:1651 Petition for Writ of Coram Nobis

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

THOMAS EDWARD ANDERS,

Plaintiff,

CASE NO. 10cv1361-MMA(WVG)

vs. ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR

WRIT OF ERROR AUDITA

QUERELA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, [Doc. No. 1]

Defendant.

Petitioner Thomas Edward Anders, a federal prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed a petition

for a writ of error audita querela pursuant to the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651. For the following

reasons, the Court concludes that Petitioner is not entitled to issuance of such a writ and DENIES

the petition.

DISCUSSION

On June 14, 1995, a jury found Petitioner guilty of conspiracy to distribute

methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; and carrying a firearm

during the commission of a drug trafficking crime. See 3:94-CR-668-R-5, United States v. Thomas

Edward Anders, Doc. No. 132. On October 20, 1995, Petitioner was sentenced to 420 months in

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1

 Judge John S. Rhoades, presiding, denied Petitioner’s motion for downward departure, and

sentenced Petitioner as follows: Counts 1, 4 & 5 - Custody of the B/P for 360 months each count to run

concurrently to each other; supervised release for 10 yrs each count to run concurrently. Count 6 -

custody of the B/P for 60 months run consecutive to Counts 1, 4 & 5; supervised release for 3 years to

run concurrently to Counts 1, 4 & 5; penalty of $200.00; no fine. 

2

 These exceptions do not alter the one-year limitations period – they merely change the starting

date of the one-year clock.

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custody.1 See id., Doc. No. 159. On February 13, 1997, his conviction and sentence were upheld on

direct appeal by the Ninth Circuit in an unpublished decision. See id., Doc. No. 256. It does not

appear from the record of his criminal case that Petitioner sought further review, either direct or

collateral. 

On June 17, 2010, Petitioner filed the instant petition. Petitioner essentially requests a

re-sentencing pursuant to the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220

(2005). Petitioner challenges his sentence, arguing that because the federal sentencing guidelines

are no longer mandatory, the Court now has the discretion to grant his motion for a downward

departure under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Petitioner asserts that his sentence is a gross injustice because

it is disproportionate to the nature of the crime for which he was convicted, and far greater than the

sentences received by any of his five co-defendants. 

Petitioner’s claim is more properly asserted in a motion to vacate under 28 U.S.C. § 2255,

rather than in a petition for writ of audita querela under § 1651. See Trenkler v. United States, 536

F.3d 85, 97 (1st Cir. 2008) (noting that courts regularly re-characterize as § 2255 motions petitions

which seek relief from sentence but are captioned as something else). However, if the Court

construes the petition as a § 2255 motion, Petitioner’s motion clearly is untimely. A motion for §

2255 relief must be brought within one year after the prisoner’s conviction becomes final, subject to

limited exceptions. See 28 U.S.C. § 2255(f).2

 Here, the record shows that Petitioner’s conviction

became final in May 1997, and thus the time to file any § 2255 motion expired in May 1998. The

instant petition was filed in June 2010, more than twelve years beyond the expiration of the one-year

limitation period. Thus, if the petition is re-characterized as a § 2255 motion, it is subject to

dismissal as untimely under § 2255(f). 

The Court notes that Petitioner does not necessarily argue that he was entitled to a downward

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 In Kessack, the court considered petitioner Kessack’s motion for a writ of audita querela

challenging his 30-year prison sentence under the then-mandatory Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Following Kessack’s sentencing, the Supreme Court declared that the mandatory Guidelines used in

Kessack’s sentence were unconstitutional because the Sixth Amendment requires juries rather than

judges to find facts relevant to sentencing. United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 245 (2005). The

Kessack court held that the Booker rule can apply retroactively via a writ of audita querela. Because

petitioner Kessack was serving a sentence of at least 20 greater than any of his co-defendants, the court

believed “a grave injustice is occurring as a result of Mr. Kessack’s 30-year sentence.” Reasoning that

“sentences imposed under an unconstitutional sentencing scheme should, in fairness, be reconsidered,”

the court ordered that petitioner Kessack be re-sentenced. Kessack, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7739, 2008

WL 189679 at *1. 

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departure at the time of his sentencing; rather, he asserts that subsequent to Booker, Judge Rhoades

acquired discretion to downward depart which he previously lacked. However, this is essentially a

claim for retroactive relief under Booker from his otherwise final sentence – a claim more properly

made under § 2255 rather than under a writ of audit querela – and such relief has been foreclosed in

collateral proceedings in this circuit. See, e.g., Cook v. United States, 386 F.3d 949, 950 (9th Cir.

2004); see also, Hewett v. United States, 372 F. Supp. 2d 585, 591 (D. Haw. 2005) (the holdings of

Booker and Blakely do not provide a basis for tolling the statute of limitations provided for § 2255

motions). Thus, this argument fails, and if the instant petition is re-characterized as a § 2255 motion

to vacate, it is clearly untimely and must be dismissed. 

Even if the petition is not re-characterized as a § 2255 motion, Petitioner is still not entitled

to relief. “At common law, the writ of audita querela permitted a judgment debtor to obtain

equitable relief from a legal judgment because of some defense or discharge arising after the entry

of the judgment.” United States v. Valdez-Pacheco, 237 F.3d 1077, 1079 (9th Cir. 2001) (citing

7 Am. Jur. 2d Audita Querela § 1 (1997)). The common law writ of audita querela remains

available today; however, it is only available to federal prisoners “to ‘fill the interstices of the

federal post-conviction remedial framework.’” Valdez-Pacheco, 237 F.3d at 1079 (quoting Doe v.

INS, 120 F.3d 200, 203 (9th Cir. 1997)). The writ is not available “to challenge a conviction or

sentence when the prisoner’s contentions could otherwise be raised in a motion pursuant to §

2255.” Valdez-Pacheco, 237 F.3d at 1079-80.

Petitioner relies upon the ruling in an unpublished case, Kessack v. United States, 2008 U.S.

Dist. LEXIS 7739, 2008 WL 189679 (W.D. Wash.), to support his petition.3

 The Court notes that

the Kessack decision has not been followed by any of the courts that have subsequently considered

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it, and it is inconsistent with the law of this circuit holding that a writ of audita querela is not

available for a claim that otherwise falls within the scope of § 2255 relief. See Carrington v. United

States, 503 F.3d 888, 890 (9th Cir.2007) (“A writ of audita querela is not an available remedy where

the claims raised would be cognizable in a § 2255 habeas petition.”) (citations and footnote omitted). 

The writ of audita querela is not available to Petitioner to circumvent the limitations

Congress has placed upon prisoners seeking post-conviction collateral relief. Valdez-Pacheco, 237

F.3d at 1080. As a general rule, “§ 2255 provides the exclusive procedural mechanism by which a

federal prisoner may test the legality of detention.” Lorentsen v. Hood, 223 F.3d 950, 953 (9th

Cir.2000). Because Petitioner’s conviction and sentence do not present any truly extraordinary

circumstances or inequities, resorting to a petition for a writ of audita querela is improper and

unwarranted. 

CONCLUSION

Based on the foregoing, the Court DENIES the petition for a writ of error audita querela. 

The Clerk shall terminate this civil case.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: September 14, 2010

Hon. Michael M. Anello

United States District Judge

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