Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_15-cv-03785/USCOURTS-cand-4_15-cv-03785-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
John P. Bunyard
Plaintiff
R. Fisher
Defendant

Document Text:

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

United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOHN P. BUNYARD,

Petitioner,

v.

R. FISHER,

Respondent.

Case No. 15-cv-03785-PJH 

ORDER DISMISSING PETITION AND 

DENYING CERTIFICATE OF 

APPEALABILITY

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

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. He has paid the filing fee. The petition involves a 

conviction on August 22, 1995, in Santa Clara County Superior Court where petitioner 

was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Petitioner argues that his sentence violates 

the Eighth Amendment. However, court records indicate that petitioner filed a previous 

federal habeas petition regarding the same underlying conviction that was dismissed as 

untimely on March 25, 2004. See Bunyard v. Knowles, No. C 03-1280 PJH (PR). 

Petitioner filed two appeals to the Ninth Circuit that were denied. Thus, this is a 

successive petition.

“A claim presented in a second or successive habeas corpus application under 

section 2254 that was not presented in a prior application shall be dismissed....” 28 

U.S.C. § 2244(b)(2). This is the case unless,

(A) the applicant shows that the claim relies on a new rule of 

constitutional law, made retroactive to cases on collateral 

review by the Supreme Court, that was previously 

unavailable; or

(B) (i) the factual predicate for the claim could not have been 

discovered previously through the exercise of due diligence; 

and

Case 4:15-cv-03785-PJH Document 3 Filed 09/16/15 Page 1 of 3
2

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

United States District Court

Northern District of California

(ii) the facts underlying the claim, if proven and viewed in light 

of the evidence as a whole, would be sufficient to establish by 

clear and convincing evidence that, but for constitutional error, 

no reasonable factfinder would have found the applicant guilty 

of the underlying offense.

28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(2).

However, “[b]efore a second or successive application permitted by this section is 

filed in the district court, the applicant shall move in the appropriate court of appeals for 

an order authorizing the district court to consider the application.” 28 U.S.C. § 

2244(b)(3)(A). Therefore, petitioner's application must be dismissed to its refiling upon 

obtaining authorization from the Ninth Circuit. 

CONCLUSION

The petition is DISMISSED. Because reasonable jurists would not find the result 

here debatable, a certificate of appealability (“COA”) is DENIED. See Slack v. McDaniel, 

529 U.S. 473, 484-85 (2000) (standard for COA). The clerk shall close the file. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: September 16, 2015

________________________

PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON

United States District Judge

\\CANDOAK\Data\Users\PJHALL\_psp\2015\2015_03785_Bunyard_v_Fisher_(PSP)\15-cv-03785-PJH-_dis_successive.docx

Case 4:15-cv-03785-PJH Document 3 Filed 09/16/15 Page 2 of 3
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

United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOHN P. BUNYARD,

Plaintiff,

v.

R. FISHER,

Defendant.

Case No. 15-cv-03785-PJH 

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 September 17, 2015, 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.

John P. Bunyard ID: J-75189

P.O. Box 96

Chowchilla, CA 93610 

Dated: September 17, 2015

Susan Y. Soong

Clerk, United States District Court

By:________________________

Nichole Peric, Deputy Clerk to the 

Honorable PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON

Case 4:15-cv-03785-PJH Document 3 Filed 09/16/15 Page 3 of 3