Opinion ID: 788549
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Tolling for Inadequate Prison Library Materials

Text: 105 Finally, Doe argues that he was unable to file his § 440 motion pro se because he was incarcerated in federal prison during the operative time period, and consequently had no access to New York State case law. Although this Circuit has not yet determined whether the deprivation of access to legal materials can constitute the extraordinary circumstances necessary to toll AEDPA's limitations period, see Hizbullahankhamon, 255 F.3d at 75-76, there is no need to address this issue here, because Doe's argument is patently meritless. Doe's § 440 motion was based primarily on federal law, as he argued that the DA's Office withheld Brady material, broke its promise not to prosecute him, and coerced his guilty plea, and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel preceding his plea. Doe therefore could have prepared the motion using the federal case law that he concedes was available where he was incarcerated. Moreover, as discussed above, Doe has not proffered any evidence that despite the availability of federal case law, he could not have filed the § 440 motion pro se, or suggested that any of the arguments raised in his eventual § 440 motion could not have been raised without relying on New York case law. We therefore affirm the district court's denial of equitable tolling on this theory.