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 

MDR 

WO 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Benjamin Johnson, 

Petitioner, 

v. 

Charles Ryan, et al., 

Respondents. 

No. CV 15-02383-PHX-DGC (BSB) 

ORDER 

Petitioner Benjamin Johnson, who is confined in the Arizona State Prison 

Complex-Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, has filed a pro se Petition for Writ of Habeas 

Corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (Doc. 1) and has paid the filing fee. The Court will 

dismiss the Petition without prejudice. 

I. Background 

 In his first state court trial in Maricopa County Superior Court, case #CR 1994-

010138, Petitioner was convicted of attempted murder (Count 1), two counts of 

aggravated assault of police officers (Counts 2 and 3), and six counts of aggravated 

assault of bystanders (Counts 4-9). On appeal, the Arizona Court of Appeals reversed the 

convictions on Counts 1 and 4-9, and left intact the convictions on Counts 2 and 3. 

 At his second trial, Petitioner was retried on the six aggravated assaults of the 

bystanders and was convicted of five of the six counts. On appeal, the Arizona Court of 

Appeals reversed these convictions. 

. . . . 

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 1 of 7
- 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 

 In his third trial, Petitioner was retried on five of the six aggravated assaults of the 

bystanders and was convicted of all five counts. The Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed, 

and the Arizona Supreme Court denied review. Petitioner’s state-court post-conviction 

claims were denied by the trial court, and the state court of appeals and state supreme 

court both denied review. 

 On November 24, 2008, Petitioner filed his first petition for a writ of habeas 

corpus regarding his convictions, Johnson v. Bartos, CV 08-02167-PHX-JWS. In a 

March 9, 2011 Order (Doc. 26 in CV 08-02167), the Court granted Petitioner habeas 

relief regarding his conviction on Count 3, denied relief on his second ground for relief, 

and dismissed with prejudice his third ground for relief. The Clerk of Court entered 

Judgment accordingly. (Doc. 27 in CV 08-02167). Petitioner filed a Notice of Appeal, 

but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to issue a certificate of appealability. 

(Doc. 32 in CV 08-02167). 

 In his current Petition, Petitioner claims violations of the Fifth Amendment 

prohibition against double jeopardy regarding the convictions for aggravated assault of 

the bystanders. 

II. Dismissal of the Petition 

 Under 28 U.S.C. § 2244, a petitioner may not file a second or successive § 2254 

petition in the district court unless the petitioner has obtained a certification from the 

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals authorizing the district court to consider the second or 

subsequent § 2254 petition. A habeas petition is “‘second or successive’ if it raises 

claims that were or could have been adjudicated on their merits in an earlier petition.” 

Cooper v. Calderon, 274 F.3d 1270, 1273 (9th Cir. 2001) (per curiam). The current 

petition is Petitioner’s second petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging these 

convictions, and asserts claims that could have been raised in his first petition. 

 Petitioner has not presented a certification from the Ninth Circuit authorizing the 

Court to consider a second or subsequent § 2254 petition. Accordingly, the current 

Petition and this action must be dismissed as a successive petition. The Court, however, 

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 2 of 7
- 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 

will dismiss the case without prejudice so that Petitioner can seek certification from the 

Ninth Circuit to file a second or successive § 2254 petition. 

IT IS ORDERED:

(1) Petitioner’s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Doc. 1) and this action are 

dismissed without prejudice, and the Clerk of Court must enter judgment accordingly. 

 (2) The Clerk of Court must provide Petitioner with a copy of the form 

recommended by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for filing an Application for Leave 

to File Second or Successive Petition Under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 or Motion Under 28 

U.S.C. § 2255. 

(3) Pursuant to Rule 11(a) of the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases, in the 

event Petitioner files an appeal, the Court declines to issue a certificate of appealability 

because reasonable jurists would not find the Court’s procedural ruling debatable. See 

Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). 

Dated this 2nd day of December, 2015. 

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 3 of 7
Form 12. Application for Leave to File Second or Successive Petition

(New, 7/1/02) Under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 or Motion Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255

UNITED STATES COURT of APPEALS 

for the NINTH CIRCUIT

95 Seventh Street

San Francisco, California 94103

Application for Leave to File Second or Successive Petition 

Under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 or Motion Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255

Docket Number ________________________________________________________________ 

(to be provided by court)

Petitioner's name _______________________________________________________________ 

Prisoner registration number 

Address ______________________________________________________________________ 

Instructions - Read Carefully

(1) This application, whether handwritten or typewritten, must be legible and signed by the petitioner under penalty

of perjury. An original and five (5) copies must be provided to the Clerk of the Ninth Circuit. The application

must comply with 9th Circuit Rule 22-3, which is attached to this form.

(2) All questions must be answered concisely. Add separate sheets if necessary. 

(3) The petitioner shall serve a copy of this application and any attachments on respondent and must complete and

file a proof of service with this application. 

(4) The petitioner shall attach to this application copies of the magistrate judge's report and recommendation and

the district court's opinion in any prior federal habeas proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 or § 2255 or state why

such documents are unavailable to petitioner.

You Must Answer the Following Questions:

(1) What conviction(s) are you challenging?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 4 of 7
(2) In what court(s) were you convicted of these crime(s)?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

(3) What was the date of each of your conviction(s) and what is the length of each sentence?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

For questions (4) through (9), provide information separately for each of your previous §§ 2254

or 2255 proceedings. Use additional pages if necessary.

(4) With respect to each conviction and sentence, have you ever filed a petition or motion for habeas

corpus relief in federal court under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 or § 2255?

Yes G No G

(a) In which federal district court did you file a petition or motion?

________________________________________________________________________

(b) What was the docket number? ______________________________________________

(c) On what date did you file the petition/motion? ___________________________________

(5) What grounds were raised in your previous habeas proceeding? 

(list all grounds and issues previously raised in that petition/ motion)

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(6) Did the district court hold an evidentiary hearing? Yes G No G

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 5 of 7
(7) How did the district court rule on your petition/motion? 

G District court dismissed petition/motion? If yes, on what grounds?

__________________________________________________________________

G District court denied petition/motion;

G District court granted relief; 

if yes, on what claims and what was the relief?

__________________________________________________________________

(Attach copies of all reports and orders issued by the district court.) 

(8) On what date did the district court decide your petition/motion?

________________________________________________________________________

(9) Did you file an appeal from that disposition? Yes G No G

(a) What was the docket number of your appeal? __________________________________

(b) How did the court of appeals decide your appeal?_______________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

(10) State concisely each and every ground or issue you wish to raise in your current petition or

motion for habeas relief. Summarize briefly the facts supporting each ground or issue.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(11) For each ground raised, was it raised in the state courts? If so, what did the state courts rule

and when? 

________________________________________________________________________

(12) For each ground/issue raised, was this claim raised in any prior federal petition/motion? (list

each ground separately)

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 6 of 7
(13) For each ground/issue raised, does this claim rely on a new rule of constitutional law? (list each

ground separately and give case name and citation for each new rule of law)

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(14) For each ground/issue raised, does this claim rely on newly discovered evidence? What is the

evidence and when did you discover it? Why has this newly discovered evidence not been

previously available to you? (list each ground separately)

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(15) For each ground/issue raised, does the newly discovered evidence establish your innocence? 

How?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(16) For each ground/issue raised, does the newly discovered evidence establish a federal

constitutional error? Which provision of the Constitution was violated and how? 

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(17) Provide any other basis for your application not previously stated. 

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Date: __________________ Signature:_________________________________

Proof of Service on Respondent MUST be Attached.

Case 2:15-cv-02383-DGC--BSB Document 3 Filed 12/02/15 Page 7 of 7