Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_19-cv-01524/USCOURTS-casd-3_19-cv-01524-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 540
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Mandamus and Other
Cause of Action: 28:2241fd Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (federal)

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19cv1524 AJB (NLS)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

WILLIAM DAWES,

Petitioner,

v.

THE PEOPLE, Warden,

Respondent.

Case No.: 19cv1524 AJB (NLS)

ORDER: (1) GRANTING MOTION 

TO PROCEED IN FORMA 

PAUPERIS; and (2) DISMISSING 

CASE WITHOUT PREJUDICE AND 

WITH LEAVE TO AMEND

Petitioner, a pre-trial detainee proceeding pro se, has filed a petition for writ of 

habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 together with a motion to proceed in forma 

pauperis.

MOTION TO PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS

Petitioner has $0.20 on account at the California correctional institution in which 

he is presently confined. Petitioner cannot afford the $5.00 filing fee. Thus, the Court 

GRANTS Petitioner’s application to proceed in forma pauperis, and allows Petitioner to 

prosecute the above-referenced action without being required to prepay fees or costs and 

without being required to post security. The Clerk of the Court shall file the Petition for 

Writ of Habeas Corpus without prepayment of the filing fee.

/ / /

/ / /

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19cv1524 AJB (NLS)

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BASIS FOR THE PETITION

Petitioner filed this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. He is currently a pretrial 

detainee in the San Diego County Jail awaiting trial and thus 28 U.S.C. § 2241 may be

the proper vehicle to challenge such a detention. Petitioner also states in his petition, 

however, that he is challenging a conviction from Orange County Superior Court which 

occurred in 2008. (Pet., ECF No. 1 at 1.) Orange County is within the jurisdictional 

boundaries of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, 

Southern Division, not the United States District Court for the Southern District of 

California. See 28 U.S.C. § 84(c)(3). Further, Petitioner states he is challenging a 

conviction or state criminal proceeding based on “double jeopardy, being tried again for 

competency of murder case from 2005 which has been closed since 2010,” and gives two 

case numbers, San Diego Superior Court case no. SCS287189 and California Supreme 

Court case no. S254694. According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s website,1

Petitioner is currently in custody in case no. SCS287189 for various crimes committed 

while he was in prison. The California Supreme Court website2states that a petition for 

writ of habeas corpus was denied on June 19, 2019, but provides no further information. 

In short, it is unclear what conviction or proceeding Petitioner is challenging, 

whether he is challenging his detention as a pre-trial detainee or his detention pursuant to 

a judgment of a state court, and whether 28 U.S.C. § 2241 or 28 U.S.C. § 2254 is the 

proper vehicle to pursue his claims. See White v. Lambert, 370 F.3d 1002, 1006-07 (9th 

Cir. 2004) (holding that section 2254 is the proper jurisdictional basis for a habeas 

 

1 San Diego County Sheriff maintains a website entitled “Who’s In Jail” which provides 

information on San Diego County inmates. See

https://apps.sdsheriff.net/wij/wijDetail.aspx?BookNum=%2fTrm6M0WP1mTwssSLzXX

Z4CiL5s2dHhf6%2bNp3PWI2ws%3d

2 See 

https://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=

2281253&doc_no=S254694&request_token=NiIwLSIkTkw3WyBZSCJdSEJIMEA0UD

xTJiNeXzNSMCAgCg%3D%3D

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petition brought by an individual “in custody pursuant to a state court judgment” and is 

properly understood as “in effect implement[ing] the general grant of habeas corpus 

authority found in § 2241 as long as the person is in custody pursuant to the judgment of 

a state court, and not in state custody for some other reason, such as pre-conviction 

custody, custody awaiting extradition, or other forms of custody that are possible without 

a conviction.”) 

CONCLUSION

It is unclear to the Court whether 28 U.S.C. § 2241 is the proper vehicle for 

Petitioner’s claims. Accordingly, the Court DISMISSES this case without prejudice and 

with leave to amend. If Petitioner seeks to challenge his pre-trial detention, he may file 

an amended petition pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 no later than October 21, 2019. If 

Petitioner seeks to challenge a state court conviction he must file a petition for writ of 

habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 which will be given a new case number. The 

Clerk of Court is directed to mail Petitioner a blank First Amended Petition pursuant 

to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 form and a blank Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus pursuant to 

28 U.S.C. § 2254 form together with a copy of this Order.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: September 10, 2019

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