Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_09-cv-02459/USCOURTS-cand-4_09-cv-02459-5/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Shahpor Ghobadi
Petitioner
State of California
Respondent

Document Text:

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

SHAHPOR GHOBADI,

Petitioner,

 v.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA, Warden,

Respondent. /

No. C 09-02459 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 raising four

claims. In an Order dated February 23, 2010, the Court ordered

Respondent to show cause why the petition should not be granted. 

Thereafter, Respondent filed a motion to dismiss the petition for

failure to exhaust state court remedies. 

In an Order dated December 9, 2010, the Court granted

Respondent's motion to dismiss the petition and directed Petitioner

to make an election regarding how he wanted to cure the problem of

the unexhausted claims. Petitioner was instructed to submit (1) a

request to dismiss his unexhausted claims and proceed with his

exhausted claim (claim three) or (2) a request to stay the petition

while he returns to state court to exhaust his unexhausted claims. 

On December 23, 2010, Petitioner submitted a request "for a

stay until the unexhausted claims (1, 2, 4) are exhausted in state

court." (Pet'r Letter dated Dec. 20, 2010 at 1.) 

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

Case 4:09-cv-02459-CW Document 17 Filed 01/06/11 Page 1 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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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, 544 U.S. 408, 416 (2005), under which a 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, 544 U.S. 269, 277-278 (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, 544

U.S. at 416. 

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

Case 4:09-cv-02459-CW Document 17 Filed 01/06/11 Page 2 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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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

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. 

This Order terminates Docket no. 16.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: 1/6/2011 

CLAUDIA WILKEN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 4:09-cv-02459-CW Document 17 Filed 01/06/11 Page 3 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SHAHPOR GHOBADI,

Plaintiff,

 v.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA et al,

Defendant. /

Case Number: CV09-02459 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 January 7, 2011, 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.

Shahpor Ghobadi F-18677

CALIFORNIA SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT FACILITY (5242)

P.O. BOX 5242

CORCORAN, CA 93212-5242

Dated: January 7, 2011

Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: Nikki Riley, Deputy Clerk

Case 4:09-cv-02459-CW Document 17 Filed 01/06/11 Page 4 of 4