FI L ED

U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S

EL EVENTH CI RCUI T

J UNE 3, 2010

J OHN L EY

CL ERK [ D O N O T P U B L I S H ]

I N T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S C O U R T O F A P P E A L S

F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C I R C U I T

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

N o

. 0 9

- 1 3 3 5 9

N o n

- A r g u m e n t C a l e n d a r

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

D

. C

. D o c k e t N o

. 0 9

- 0 0 0 5 4

- C V

- C D L

- 4

L E O F U L L E R

,

P e t i t i o n e r

- A p p e l l a n t

,

v e r s u s

W I L L I A M M

. T E R R Y

,

W a r d e n

,

R e s p o n d e n t

- A p p e l l e e

.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A p p e a l f r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s D i s t r i c t C o u r t

f o r t h e M i d d l e D i s t r i c t o f G e o r g i a

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

( J u n e 3

, 2 0 1 0 )

B e f o r e M A R C U S

, W I L S O N a n d A N D E R S O N

, C i r c u i t J u d g e s

.

P E R C U R I A M :

L e o F u l l e r

, a G e o r g i a s t a t e p r i s o n e r s e r v i n g a l i f e s e n t e n c e f

o r r a p e a n d t h e f

t

,

a p p e a l s p r o s e t h e d i s m i s s a l o f h i s 2 8 U

. S

. C

. § 2 2 5 4 p e t i t i o n f o r a w r i t o f h a b e a sc o r p u s

. T h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t d i s m i s s e d h i s p e t i t i o n b a s e d o n i t s f i n d i n g t h a t h e d i d n o t

p a y t h e f i l i n g f e e o r m o v e t o p r o c e e d i n f o r m a p a u p e r i s ( “ I F P ” ) w i t h i n 2 0 d a y s o f a

m a g i s t r a t e j u d g e ’ s o r d e r r e q u i r i n g h i m t o d o s o

. W e g r a n t e d a c e r t i f i c a t e o f

a p p e a l a b i l i t y ( “ C O A ” ) o n t h e i s s u e o f :

W h e t h e r t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t e r r e d i n f a i l i n g t o r e i n s t a t e [ ] F u l l e r ’ s 2 8

U

. S

. C

. § 2 2 5 4 p e t i t i o n

, o r i g i n a l l y d i s m i s s e d f o r f a i l u r e t o p a y t h e

f i l i n g f e e

, a f t e r h i s a p p l i c a t i o n f

o r l e a v e t o p r o c e e d i n f o r m a p a u p e r i s

w a s r e c e i v e d w i t h i n t h e t i m e a l l o t t e d b y t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ?

O n a p p e a l

, F u l l e r a r g u e s t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t e r r e d b y d i s m i s s i n g

, a n d t h e n f a i l i n g

t o r e i n s t a t e

, h i s § 2 2 5 4 p e t i t i o n f o r f a i l u r e t o p a y t h e f

i l i n g f e e o r m o v e t o p r o c e e d

I F P

, s i n c e h e f

i l e d h i s r e q u e s t t o p r o c e e d I F P w i t h i n t h e t i m e a l l o t t e d

, b u t t h e

p r i s o n m a i l r o o m f

a i l e d t o t r a n s m i t i t i n a t i m e l y f a s h i o n

. A f

t e r c a r e f u l r e v i e w

, w e

v a c a t e a n d r e m a n d

.

W e r e v i e w a d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s d i s m i s s a l o f a h a b e a s p e t i t i o n d e n o v o

. M e l s o n

v

. A l l e n

, 5 4 8 F

. 3 d 9 9 3

, 9 9 6 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 8 )

, c e r t

. d e n i e d

, 1 3 0 S

. C t

. 2 5 4 ( 2 0 0 9 )

.

“ A d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s f

a c t u a l f i n d i n g s a r e r e v i e w e d f

o r c l e a r e r r o r

. ” I d

. a t 9 9 7

. W e

r e v i e w a d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s s u a s p o n t e d i s m i s s a l o f a n a c t i o n f o r f a i l u r e t o c o m p l y

w i t h i t s o r d e r s f

o r a b u s e o f d i s c r e t i o n

. S e e W i l s o n v

. S a r g e n t

, 3 1 3 F

. 3 d 1 3 1 5

, 1 3 1 8

( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 2 ) ( r e v i e w i n g a d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s s u a s p o n t e d i s m i s s a l o f a p r i s o n e r ’ s

c o m p l a i n t f

o r f a i l u r e t o c o m p l y w i t h i t s I F P o r d e r f o r a b u s e o f d i s c r e t i o n )

. W e

m u s t l i m i t t h e s c o p e o f o u r r e v i e w t o t h e i s s u e s s p e c i f i e d i n t h e C O A

. M u r r a y v

.

2U n i t e d S t a t e s

, 1 4 5 F

. 3 d 1 2 4 9

, 1 2 5 0

- 5 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 8 )

. W e c o n s t r u e p r o s e

p l e a d i n g s l i b e r a l l y

. T a n n e n b a u m v

. U n i t e d S t a t e s

, 1 4 8 F

. 3 d 1 2 6 2

, 1 2 6 3 ( 1 1 t h C i r

.

1 9 9 8 )

.

A c o u r t m a y a u t h o r i z e t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t o f a s u i t w i t h o u t p r e p a y m e n t o f

f e e s b y p e r m i t t i n g t h e l i t i g a n t t o p r o c e e d I F P

. S e e 2 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 9 1 5

. I n o r d e r t o

q u a l i f y

, a p e r s o n “ s u b m i t s a n a f f i d a v i t t h a t i n c l u d e s a s t a t e m e n t o f a l l a s s e t s s u c h

p r i s o n e r p o s s e s s e s t h a t t h e p e r s o n i s u n a b l e t o p a y s u c h f e e s

. ” I d

. § 1 9 1 5 ( a ) ( 1 )

. A

p r i s o n e r w h o s e e k s I F P s t a t u s m u s t a l s o i n c l u d e a c o p y o f h i s t r u s t f u n d a c c o u n t

s t a t e m e n t f

o r t h e p r i o r s i x

- m o n t h p e r i o d

. I d

. § 1 9 1 5 ( a ) ( 2 )

. “ I n n o e v e n t s h a l l a

p r i s o n e r b e p r o h i b i t e d f r o m b r i n g i n g a c i v i l a c t i o n

. . . f o r t h e r e a s o n t h a t t h e

p r i s o n e r h a s n o a s s e t s a n d n o m e a n s b y w h i c h t o p a y t h e i n i t i a l p a r t i a l f i l i n g f e e

. ”

I d

. § 1 9 1 5 ( b ) ( 4 )

.

U n d e r t h e m a i l b o x r u l e f o r p r i s o n e r s

, a p r i s o n e r ’ s m o t i o n i s d e e m e d f i l e d o n

t h e d a t e i t i s d e l i v e r e d t o p r i s o n o f f i c i a l s f o r m a i l i n g

. S e e A d a m s v

. U n i t e d S t a t e s

,

1 7 3 F

. 3 d 1 3 3 9

, 1 3 4 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 9 )

. A b s e n t c o n t r a r y e v i d e n c e

, w e w i l l a s s u m e

t h a t a p r i s o n e r ’ s f

i l i n g “ w a s d e l i v e r e d t o p r i s o n a u t h o r i t i e s t h e d a y h e s i g n e d i t

. ”

W a s h i n g t o n v

. U n i t e d S t a t e s

, 2 4 3 F

. 3 d 1 2 9 9

, 1 3 0 1 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 1 )

.

H e r e

, t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t d i s m i s s e d F u l l e r ’ s § 2 2 5 4 p e t i t i o n b e c a u s e h e d i d n o t

p a y t h e $ 5 f

i l i n g f e e o r m o v e f

o r l e a v e t o p r o c e e d I F P w i t h i n 2 0 d a y s o f t h e

3m a g i s t r a t e ’ s M a y 2 1

, 2 0 0 9

, o r d e r r e q u i r i n g h i m t o d o s o

. A l t h o u g h t h e c o u r t h a d

n o t r e c e i v e d F u l l e r ’ s m o t i o n f o r I F P s t a t u s a t t h e t i m e o f i t s r u l i n g o n J u n e 2 3

,

F u l l e r d i d s u b m i t t h e m o t i o n s w i t h i n t h e r e l e v a n t t i m e p e r i o d

. I n d e e d

, u n d e r t h e

p r i s o n m a i l b o x r u l e

, t h e m o t i o n s f o r I F P s t a t u s w e r e t i m e l y

, h a v i n g b e e n r e c e i v e d

b y t h e p r i s o n o n M a y 2 7

, t h e d a t e F u l l e r s i g n e d t h e m

. B e c a u s e F u l l e r i n f a c t

c o m p l i e d w i t h t h e o r i g i n a l o r d e r r e q u i r i n g h i m t o e i t h e r p a y t h e p a r t i a l f i l i n g f e e o r

m o v e f o r I F P s t a t u s w i t h i n 2 0 d a y s

, t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t e r r e d i n d i s m i s s i n g F u l l e r ’ s §

2 2 5 4 p e t i t i o n

, a l b e i t t h r o u g h n o f a u l t o f i t s o w n

. A c c o r d i n g l y

, w e v a c a t e a n d

r e m a n d t h e c a s e w i t h i n s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o r e i n s t a t e t h e p e t i t i o n a n d

c o n d u c t f u r t h e r p r o c e e d i n g s

. 1

We note that the mag istrate subseque ntly enter ed an or der de ny ing the motions t o 1

proce ed I FP, finding that (1) F uller did not establish that he could not pay the filing fee , and (2)

in any event, his petition was untimely and he f ailed to exhaust his st ate r emedies. H oweve r, we

do not have jurisdiction to consider tha t order. A lthough the ma g istrate’s or der w as docke ted on

J uly 2, the same da

y that the cour

t docketed F uller’s notice of appe al, Fuller signe d his notice of

appea l on J une 27, which me ans that, under the mailbox rule, the notice of appe al was f iled on

that date, be fore the mag istrate’s or der w as issued. Ada ms, 173 F.3d at 1341; Washington, 243

F.3d a t 1301. Consequently , Fuller ’s notice of appea l could not have c ontemplated the

mag istrate’s or der, since that order was not in exist ence at the time he f iled the notice of

appea l.

See F ed.R.App.P. 3(c) (re quiring a notice of appea l to designa te a judg ment or orde r); B og le v.

Ora ng e County

Bd. of County Comm’rs, 162 F.3d 653, 661 (11th Cir. 1998) ( holding that we

lacke d jurisdiction to review a n order that had not bee n enter ed at the time the notice of appe al

was filed) . Moreove r, F uller did not file an a mended notice of appe al, nor did he f ile his

appellate brief w ithin 30 day s of the mag istrate’s or der, so that it could be c onstrued as a n

amende d notice of a

ppeal c halleng ing the mag istrate’s or der. F ed.R.App.P. 4(a) (1)( A); F inch v.

City of Ve rnon, 845 F .2d 256, 259-60 (11th Cir. 1988) (tr eating a pro se brief f iled within 30

day s of a f

inal judgme nt as an a

mended notice of appe al). The ref ore, w e lac k jurisdiction to

consider the mag istrate’s c onclusions that Fuller w as able to pay the par tial filing fe e and tha t the

§ 2254 petition was untimely and potentially

unexhausted. See B og le, 162 F.3d a t 661.

Fur thermore , and per

haps more f

undamentally , we a lso lack jurisdiction to review the issue of

whether the mag istrate had the leg al authority to enter its J uly

2 order deny ing F uller’s I FP

4A s f o r t h e o t h e r i s s u e s F u l l e r r a i s e s o n a p p e a l

, t h e s e a r e b e y o n d t h e s c o p e o f

t h e C O A

, a n d

, t h e r e f

o r e

, w e c a n n o t c o n s i d e r t h e m

. S e e M u r r a y

, 1 4 5 F

. 3 d a t

1 2 5 0

- 5 1

.

V A C A T E D A N D R E M A N D E D

.

motions after he had sig ned his notice of a ppeal. See Mahone v. Ray , 326 F.3d 1176, 1179 ( 11th

Cir. 2003) (holding that once a notice of a

ppeal is filed, it ordinar ily deprive s a district court of

jurisdiction over issues that ar e the subjec t of the appe al).

5