Opinion ID: 3001093
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Malcolm Rush

Text: First, Rush argues that his notice was deposited within thirty days of the district court’s judgment, and therefore it was timely and that Rush should not be required to do anything further. While it is true that Rush deposited his notice in the mailing system on time, he is not exempt from compliance with the other requirements of the Rule. As we held in Craig, a prisoner may receive the benefit of the prison mailbox rule if he complies with its requirements, which includes filing a declaration or notarized statement. 368 F.3d at 740. Rush argues that the third sentence of the Rule gives the prisoner the option of filing a declaration or notarized statement, in order to establish a timely filing. This position is inconsistent with our decision in Craig, where we held that if a prison does not have a legal mailing system, the prisoner is required to show, through a declaration or notarized statement, that his notice was timely filed in order to benefit from the mailbox rule. 368 F.3d at 740; see also United States v. Ceballos-Martinez, 387 F.3d 1140, 1145 (10th Cir. 2004) (“If a prison lacks a legal mail system, a prisoner must submit a declaration or notarized statement setting forth the notice’s date of deposit with prison officials and attest that first-class postage was pre-paid.”) (emphasis in original); Grady v. United States, 269 F.3d 913, 918 (8th Cir. 2001) (“[T]he prison mailbox rule . . . consist[s] of two requirements. A prisoner must have actually deposited his legal papers with the warden by the last day for filing with the clerk. And the prisoner must at some 8 Nos. 06-2766 & 06-2879 point attest to that fact in an affidavit or notarized statement.”). Waupun does not have a separate legal mailing system, so Rush was required to comply with the third sentence of the Rule in order to receive its benefits. Finally, Rush argues that his supplemental declaration fulfills the third sentence of the Rule, in that it sets forth a date of deposit, June 9, 2005, and that he states postage was prepaid, because at the time of deposit, Waupun had precommitted to paying his postage. This statement is not true. Although prisoners have right of access to courts, they do not have right to unlimited free postage. Gaines v. Lane, 790 F.2d 1299, 1308 (7th Cir. 1986). Unlike Stateville, Waupun does not have a separate legal mailing system, nor does Waupun provide free postage for all legal mail of inmates. Prisoners are required to pay for their own legal correspondence, and are given a $200 loan allowance for supplies, photocopies, and postage for this purpose. In the event that a prisoner exceeds his allowance, he may request a loan exemption from the warden if the prisoner demonstrates an “extraordinary need.” Wis. Admin. Code § DOC 309.51. The underlying issue is whether Rush’s statement in his declaration that “postage was prepaid by the institution” satisfies the requirement of the third sentence of Rule 4(c)(1) if the institution was not, in fact, obligated to pay for the postage at the time of deposit. At the time Rush deposited his notice, his postage was not prepaid by the institution, although he indicated that it was prepaid. Waupun was not precommitted to pay for his postage. Furthermore, Rush had exceeded his $200 loan balance, and had not received an exemption from the warden at the time he deposited his notice.8 The state- 8 The warden’s letter granting an exemption for a loan is dated June 19, 2006, ten days after Rush deposited his notice of appeal. Nos. 06-2766 & 06-2879 9 ment in Rule 4(c)(1) that “first-class postage has been prepaid” encompasses the notion that the postage has actually been prepaid, either by the prisoner or by the institution. While the declaration need not be deposited concurrently with the notice of appeal, he must ensure that the statement is true as of the time the notice is deposited. “Respect for the text of Rule 4(c) means that represented prisoners can use the opportunity it creates; respect for the text equally means that prisoners must use that opportunity in the way the rule specifies.” Craig, 368 F.3d at 740. If we allowed prisoners to file declarations under Rule 4(c)(1) and assert a blanket statement that “postage has been prepaid” without verifying that they have the funds or the entitlement to do so, we would give them our stamp of approval to violate the timeliness requirement of the Rule. Postage was not prepaid at the time of deposit because Rush did not secure his right to an exemption for a loan from the warden. Therefore the statement in his declaration that Waupun had “precommitted” to paying for the postage as of June 9, 2006, is not true, and does not satisfy the requirements of Rule 4(c)(1).