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A L D - 241 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 10- 2706

___________ I N R E : ANT HONY K I RK S E Y, Pet i t i oner

____________________________________ O n a Pet i t i on forW r i tof M andamus fr om the U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tforthe D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( R el at ed t o D
. C
. C i vi l N o. 1: 09- cv- 06422)

____________________________________ S u b m itte d P u rs u a n t to R u le 2 1 , F e d . R . A p p . P
.

J ul y9, 2010 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , A M B R O and SM I T H , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: J ul y20, 2010)

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ P E R C UR I AM Pet i t i on er A nt honyK i r ks ey , a fe der al pr i s onerpr ocee di ng pr o s e, s eeks a w r i tof
m andamus t o compel t he U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our t forthe D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s eyt o r eac h an i m m edi at e dec i s i on on hi s pet i t i on fora w r i tof habe as corpus. F o r th e re as ons that fol l ow , w e w i l l denyt he pet i t i on. I n D ece m ber2009, K i r ks eyfi l ed a pet i t i on for a w r i tof habe as corpus , chal l engi ngT he Second Chance A ctof 2007 pr ovi des that“[t ] he D i r ect orof the B ur eau of 1 t he Pr i s ons s hal l , t o t he ext entpr act i cabl e, ens ur e thata pr i s oners ervi ng a t erm of im p ri so n m en t spe n d s a p o rt ion o f th e f inal m o n ths o f th at t erm (no t t o ex ce ed 1 2 m o n ths), undercondi t i ons t hatw i l l aff or d t hatpr i s onera r eas onabl e opportuni t yt o adj us tt o and pr epar e fort he r e- entr yof thatpr i s oneri nt o t he comm uni t y . Such condi t i ons m ayi ncl ude a comm uni t ycorr ect i onal fac i l i t y . ” 18 U
. S. C
. § 3624( c) ( 1) ( as amended bythe Second C han ce A ctof 2 00 7, P ub
. L
. N o. 11 0-119 , A pri l 9, 20 08 ). T he am end ed st atute al so r equi r es t hatt he B ur eau of Pr i s ons w i l l i s s ue r egul at i ons des i gned t o ens ur e that R e sid e n tial R e -e n tryC e n ter a ss ig n m e n ts a re “ (a ) c o n d u c ted in a m a n n e r c o n sis ten t w ith s ect i on 3621( b) of thi s t i t l e; ( b) det erm i ned on an i ndi vi dual bas i s ; and ( c) of s uffi ci ent dur at i on t o pr ovi de the gr eat es tl i kel i hood of s ucce s s ful r ei nt egr at i on i nt o t he comm uni t y . ” 18 U
. S. C
. § 3624( c) ( 6) ( as amended bythe Second Chance A ctof 2007, P u b
. L
. N o . 1 1 0 -11 9 , A p ri l 9, 20 0 8 ). 2 the F ed era l B u rea u o f P ri so n s’ reco m m en d ati o n fo r h is p lace m en t i n a R esid en ti al R e-e n try C ent er( R C C ) , a fa ci l i t yforr ei nt egr at i ng i nm ates into the comm uni t y . A ccor di ng t o t he 1 D istric t C o u rt re c o rd , K irk se yw a s s e n ten c e d to a 1 3 7 -m o n th ter m o f im p riso n m e n t, w ith ei ghty ear s of supervi s i on t o fol l ow . H i s pr oj ect ed re l eas e dat e i s M ar ch 4, 2011. O n J une 25, 2009, K i r ks ey ’ s U ni tt eam com pl et ed a RC C r evi ew and re comm ended t hat K i r ks eybe g iv e n a n R C C p la c e m e n t o f 1 5 0 to 1 8 0 d a y s . In h is h a b e a s p e tit io n , K irk se y a ss e rte d th a t th e F e d e ra l B u re a u o f P riso n s a b u se d its di s cr et i on i n fai l i ng t o cons i der hi m for a ful l 12- m ont h R C C pl ace m entfort w o r eas ons : 1) th e B u re a u o f

P riso n s m a d e th e R C C p lac e m e n t re c o m m e n d a tio n w ith o u t g ra n tin g h im i ndi vi dual cons i der at i on as r equi r ed byt he Second C hance A ct ; and 2) t he B ur eau of Pr i s ons
m ade i t s R C C pl ace m ent r ecomm endat i on on t he bas i s of a mem or andum from t he G ener al C o u n se l th a t ad v ise d o f f icia ls to lim it p lac e m e n t to a six -m o n th p e rio d , in c o n tra d ictio n to th e S e c o n d C h a n c e A c t.3

O n J anuary11, 2010, t he D i s t r i ctC our t is s ued an or derdi r ect i ng t he B ur eau of P riso n s to f

ile a n a n sw e r to th e p e tit io n w ith in 4 5 d a y s a n d d ire c ted K ir k s e yto f ile a re p ly t o t he ans w erw i t hi n 30 day s . O n F eb rua ry 2 3, 2010, the B ur eau of Pr i s ons t i m el yfi l ed a
r es pons e and K i r ks eyfi l ed an a ns w eri n a t i m el ym anner . O n M ay 4, 2010, K i r ks eyfi l ed a
m o tio n re q u e stin g a f

in a l d isp o sitio n o n h is h a b e a s c o rp u s p e tit io n b e c a u se f u rth e r d e lay i n
a rul i ng w oul d pr eventhi m fr om r ece i vi ng addi t i onal t i m e i n an R C C
. Si nce t hen, no act i on h a s b e e n tak e n b yth e D istric t C o u rt. O n Ju n e 1 0 , 2 0 1 0 , K irk se yf iled a p e tit io n f

o r a w rit
o f m a n d a m u s , a s k in g u s to o rd e r t h e D is tr ic t C o u rt to a c t o n h is h a b e a s c o rp u s p e titio n . T he r emedyof m andamus i s a dr as t i c meas ur e r es erved for t he m os textr aor di naryof circu m stan ce s. S ee In re D iet D rug s P rod s. L iab. L it ig., 4 1 8 F
. 3 d 3 7 2 , 3 7 8 (3d C ir
. 2 0 0 5 ); D e M a si v . W e iss , 6 6 9 F .2 d 1 1 4 , 1 1 7 ( 3 d C ir
. 1 9 8 2 ). In o rd e r to e n su re th a t m a n d a m u s is
s par i ngl ygr ant ed, a pet i t i oners eeki ng a w r i t of m andamus mustdemonstr at e that : ( 1) no ot heradequa t e means ar e ava i l abl e t o obt ai n the des i r ed r el i ef, ( 2) t hathi s r i ghtt o i s s uance of the w r i ti s “cl earand i ndi s put abl e; ” and ( 3) “the w r i ti s approp ri ate unde rt he ci r cumst ance s . ” C heneyv. U
. S. D i s t . C our tforD
. C
. , 5 42 U
. S. 367, 380- 81 ( 2004) (q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n d c ita tio n s o m itte d ). M or eover , w e have fi r m l yhel d t hatthe managementof i t s docket i s comm i t t ed t o the
s ound di s cr et i on of the D i s tr i ctC our t . See In r e Fi ne PaperA nt i t rus tL i t i g. , 685 F. 2d 810, 817- 18 ( 3d C i r . 1982)
. W hen a mat t er i s di s cr et i onary , i t cannotbe s ai d t hata l i t i gant ’ s r i ght is “clea r an d ind ispu table.” A ll ied C h em . C o rp. v. D aiflon , Inc
. , 4 4 9 U
. S
. 3 3 , 3 5 -36 (19 8 0 ).4

N o n e th e les s, w e h a v e h e ld th a t a w rit o f m a n d a m u s m a y b e w a rra n ted w h e re u n d u e d e lay i s tantam o u n t t o a f

ail u re to e x erc ise j u ri sd ict ion
. M ad d en v . M y ers, 10 2 F
. 3 d 7 4 , 7 9 (3d C ir
. 1 9 9 6 ). N o s ubs t ant i ve act i on has been t aken i n t hi s cas e bet w een M ar ch 22, 2010, atw hi ch p o in t th e h a b e a s c o rp u s p e tit io n , an sw e r, an d re p lyh a d a ll b e e n f iled in th e D istric t C o u rt,
a n d Ju n e 1 0 , 2 0 1 0 , w h e n th e p e tit io n f o r a w rit o f m a n d a m u s w a s file d in th is C o u rt. W h ile t w o and one- hal f m ont hs m aynots eem si gni fi cant , w e under s t and t he pos s i bi l i t yof a c hange i n t h e o r i g i n a l r e c o mm e n d a t i o n f o r RC C p l a c e me n t i s a t i me - s e n s i t i v e ma t t e r . Ho we v e r , we do not bel i eve t hi s del ayi s s o l engthyas t o j us t i fyouri nt ervent i on. W e ar e al s o confi dent th a t th e D istric t C o u rt is a w a re o f th e tim e -se n sitiv e n a tu re o f K irk se y ’s p e tit io n a n d w ill ru le on K i r ks ey ’ s habea s corpus pet i t i on w it h o u t u ndue del ay . A ccor di ngl y , w e w i l l denyt he pet i t i on fora w r i tof m andamus. T hi s deni al i s w i t houtpr ej udi ce t o K i r ks ey ’ s fi l i ng a new p e tit io n f

o r a w r it o f

m a n d a m u s, sh o u ld th e D istric t C o u rt f a il t o a c t ex p e d iti o u slyo n h is habea s pet i t i on.