Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03670/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03670-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Arkansas State Board of Architects
Appellee
Mike Beebe
Appellee
Larry Black
Appellee
Cora Bradshaw
Appellee
Blake Dunn
Appellee
John D. Harris
Appellee
Robert D. Holloway
Appellant
Larry Jegley
Appellee
Beth Leake
Appellee
Eugene Levy
Appellee
Larry McGowan
Appellee
Steve Miller
Appellee
Jeff Shannon
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3670

___________

Robert D. Holloway, *

*

Appellant, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the Eastern

* District of Arkansas.

Arkansas State Board of Architects; *

John D. Harris, individually and in * [UNPUBLISHED]

his official capacity as director of *

the Arkansas State Board of *

Architects; Blake Dunn, individually *

and in his official capacity as a member *

of the Arkansas State Board of *

Architects; Steve Miller, individually *

and in his official capacity as a member *

of the Arkansas State Board of *

Architects; Beth Leake, individually *

and in her official capacity as a *

member of the Arkansas State Board *

of Architects; Larry Black, *

individually and in his official capacity *

as a member of the Arkansas State *

Board of Architects; Cora Bradshaw, *

individually and in her official capacity *

as a member of the Arkansas State *

Board of Architects; Eugene Levy, *

individually and in his official capacity *

as a member of the Arkansas State *

Board of Architects; Larry McGowan, *

individually and in his official capacity *

as a member of the Arkansas State *

Appellate Case: 03-3670 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/27/2004 Entry ID: 1792485 
1

The Honorable Susan Webber Wright, Chief Judge, United States District

Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

-2-

Board of Architects; Jeff Shannon, *

in his official capacity as a member of *

the Arkansas State Board of Architects; *

Larry Jegley, in his official capacity as *

prosecuting attorney for Pulaski *

County, Arkansas and the Sixth *

Judicial District on behalf of himself *

and other similarly situated persons; *

Mike Beebe, in his official capacity *

as Attorney General for the state of *

Arkansas, *

*

Appellees. *

___________

Submitted: July 7, 2004

Filed: July 27, 2004

___________

Before MELLOY, HANSEN, and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Robert D. Holloway appeals the district court’s1

 dismissal of his 42 U.S.C.

§ 1983 action as barred by the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. See Rooker v. Fidelity

Trust Co., 263 U.S. 413 (1923); Dist. of Columbia Ct. of Appeals v. Feldman, 460

U.S. 462 (1983). After de novo review, see Charchenko v. City of Stillwater, 47 F.3d

981, 982-83 (8th Cir. 1995), we agree with the district court that it lacked jurisdiction,

because Holloway’s federal complaint raised constitutional challenges already

decided by the Arkansas Supreme Court, albeit in a non-section 1983 action. See

Bechtold v. City of Rosemount, 104 F.3d 1062, 1065 (8th Cir. 1997) (litigant cannot

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circumvent Rooker-Feldman by recasting lawsuit as § 1983 action). Holloway’s

claims for declaratory and injunctive relief were also barred, because any grant of

relief would require the district court to make conclusions directly contrary to the

decision of the state supreme court. See Lemonds v. St. Louis County, 222 F.3d 488,

492 (8th Cir. 2000) (Rooker-Feldman bars indirect attempts to undermine state-court

judgments); Keene Corp. v. Cass, 908 F.2d 293, 297 (8th Cir. 1990) (RookerFeldman doctrine applies to claims for declaratory and injunctive relief). 

Accordingly, we affirm. See 8th Cir. R. 47B. 

______________________________

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