2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 12-16-2009 

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. P aul S chultz " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 93. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

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o rP o s s i b l e Di s mi s s a l P u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U. S . C. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( B) o r S u m m a ry A c tio n P u rs u a n t to T h ir d C ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n d I.O .P . 1 0 .6 N ovember30, 2009 B efor e: SC I R I C A , C hi ef J udge, W E I S and G A R T H , C i r cui tJ udges

(O p inion fil ed : D ec em b er 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 )

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ P E R C U R I A M.

R onal d Seat on appea l s fr om an or derof the U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tfor t he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s eydi s m i s s i ng hi s habea s corpus pet i t i on forl ack of j ur i s di ct i on.2 F o ll o w ing a jurytr ial in the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rtfo r th e E astern D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a, Seat on w as convi ct ed of pos s es s i on w i t h i nt entt o del i ver coca i ne, pos s es s i on of a f i r earm i n fur t her ance of a drug t r aff i cki ng cr i m e, and pos s es s i on o f a f i r e a r m b ya c o n v i c t e d f

e l o n . H e w a s s e n t e n c e d t o 2 4 0 m o n t h s i n p r i s o n . We af firm ed the ju d g m en t of

co n v ict ion an d sen tenc e. U n it ed S tat es v . S ea ton , 1 7 8 F . A p p ’x 172 ( 3d C i r . 2006) . Seat on fi l ed a 28 U . S. C . § 2255 m ot i on t o vaca t e, w hi ch the s ent enci ng cour tdeni ed on i t s m er i t s . U ni t ed St at es v. Seat on, C r i m . A ct i on N o. 04- 0 0 0 4 9 (E .D . P a . Ju n e 1 2 , 2 0 0 7 ). S e a to n d id n o t ap p e a l.

O n J ul y31, 2009, w hi l e i ncar cer at ed att he Feder al C or r ect i onal I ns t i tut i on a tF a i r t o n , Ne w J e r s e y , S e a t o n f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f

o ra wr i to f

h a b e a s c o rp u s u n d e r2 8 U. S . C. § 2241 i n t he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey . I n t he § 2241 pet i t i on, he cl ai m ed thathe w as w r ongl ys ent ence d as a ca r eercr i m i nal offe nderbas ed on hi s convi ct i on fors i m pl e drug pos s es s i on, he w as s ent ence d undera s ent enci ng gui del i ne thatdi d notexi s t , and he w as w r ongl ys ent ence d t o cons ecut i ve t erm s of i m pr i s onm enton hi s fi r earm s char ges w hen he s h o u ld h a v e b e e n e x e m p t f ro m c o n s e c u tiv e s e n te n c in g u n d e r 1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 4 (c )( 1 )( A ). Seat on cont ended thathe s houl d be perm i tt ed t o pur s ue habe as r el i ef thr ough § 2241 beca us e § 2255 i s i nadequa t e and i neff ect i ve t o at t ack hi s convi ct i on and s ent ence . T he D i s t r i ctC our tdi s m i s s ed the § 2241 pet i t i on forl ack of j ur i s di ct i on, rul i ng t hat§ 2255 coul d notbe cons i der ed i neff ect i ve ori nadequa t e t o t es tt he l egal i t yof Seat on’ s s ent ence . M or eover , t he courtdet erm i ned thatbeca us e Seat on’ s fi r s t§ 22553

m ot i on t o vaca t e w as deni ed on i t s m er i t s , he had t o obt ai n l eave fr om t hi s C our tt o fi l e a s econd ors ucce s s i ve § 2255 mot i on i n t he appr opr i at e court . Seat on t i m el yappea l ed.

W e have j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1291 and w e r evi ew t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s j udgm entde novo. See O ker eke v. U ni t ed St at es , 307 F. 3d 117, 119 ( 3d C i r . 2002) . M ot i ons pur s uantt o § 2255 “ar e the pr es um pt i ve means byw hi ch fe der al pr i s oner s can c hal l enge thei rconvi ct i ons ors ent ence s t hatar e al l egedl yi n vi ol at i on of the C o n sti tuti o n . ” Id . at 12 0 . A p ri so n er m ayb ri n g su ch a c h all en g e in a p eti ti o n u n d er § 2241 onl yw her e the r emedypr ovi ded under§ 2255 i s i nadequa t e ori neff ect i ve t o t es tt he l egal i t yof the det ent i on. See § 2255( e) ; C r adl e v. U ni t ed St at es ex r el . M i ner , 290 F. 3d 5 3 6 , 5 3 8 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 2 ). A m o ti o n u n d er § 2 2 5 5 is i n ad eq u ate o r i n ef fe cti v e “ o n lyw h ere t he pet i t i onerdemonstr at es t hats om e l i m i t at i on of s cope orpr ocedur e w oul d pr eventa § 2255 pr ocee di ng fr om aff or di ng hi m a ful l hear i ng and adj udi cat i on of hi s w r ongful det ent i on cl ai m . ” C r adl e, 290 F. 3d at538. “Sect i on 2255 i s noti nadequa t e ori neff ect i ve m er el ybeca us e the s ent enci ng cour tdoes notgr antr el i ef, t he one- y ears t atut e of l i m i t at i ons has expi r ed, ort he pet i t i oneri s unabl e t o m eett he s t r i ngentgat ekee pi ng r equi r ement s of the amended § 2255. ” I d. at539.

W e agr ee w i t h t he r eas ons gi ven byt he D i s t r i ctC our tfordi s m i s s i ng t he p e tit io n . S e a to n h a s n o t sh o w n th a t § 2 2 5 5 is in a d e q u a te o r in e f f e c tiv e to tes t th e leg a lity of hi s s ent enci ng cl ai m s . See O ker eke, 307 F. 3d at120- 21. T he “s afe t yval ve” pr ovi ded under§ 2255 i s extr emel ynarr ow and has been he l d t o appl yi n r ar e ci r cumst ance s , s uchSeat on’ s cl ai m al l eges t hatbeca us e he i s actual l yi nnocentof the cr i m es 1 forw hi ch he w as convi ct ed, t he deni al of hi s § 2241 pet i t i on forl ack of j ur i s di ct i on cons t i tut es a mi s carr i age of j us t i ce. 4 as th o se in w h ich a p ri so n er h as h ad n o p ri o r op p o rtu n ityto ch all en g e h is co n v ict ion fo r a cr i m e l at erdeemed t o be non- cr i m i nal beca us e of a n i nt erveni ng change i n t he l aw . I d. at 1 2 0 (c itin g In re D o rs a in v il, 1 1 9 F .3 d 2 4 5 , 2 5 1 (3 d C ir . 1 9 9 7 )) . S u c h is n o t th e c a s e h e re . T he exc ept i on i dent i fi ed i n I n r e D or s ai nvi l i s s i m pl yi nappl i cabl e, and Seat on m aynot s eek r el i ef unde r§ 2241. H i s onl yr ecour s e i s t o r eques tourperm i s s i on t o fi l e a s econd ors ucce s s i ve § 2255 mot i on i n t he s ent enci ng courti n t he East ern D i s t r i ctof P en n sy lvan ia. S ee § § 2 2 5 5 (h) a n d 2 2 4 4 (b)(3 )(A ).

Up o n t h o r o u g h r e v i e w o f S e a t o n ’ s a r g u me n t s i n s u p p o r to f h i s a p p e a l , we concl ude thathi s actual i nnocenc e cl ai m i s m er i t l es s . A bs entanydemonstr at i on of new 1 r el i abl e evi dence of hi s fac tual i nnocenc e, Seat on cannots how t hati ti s m or e l i kel yt han nott hatno r eas onabl e j ur orw oul d have c onvi ct ed hi m . See H ous e v. B el l , 547 U . S. 518, 5 3 7 (20 0 6 ); S ch lup v . D elo, 51 3 U . S . 2 9 8 , 3 2 4 , 3 2 7 (19 9 5 ).

B e c a u se th e a p p e a l d o e s n o t p re se n t a s u b sta n tial q u e stio n , w e w ill s um m ar i l yaff

i r m t he j udgm entof the D i s t r i ctC our t . See Thi r d C i r . L . A . R . 27. 4 and I . O . P. 10. 6.