Opinion ID: 202376
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Grigous's habeas petition

Text: 7 On August 19, 2002, the petitioner filed a petition for habeas corpus in federal district court in Connecticut, again challenging his in absentia removal order for lack of notice and appropriate warnings. On March 28, 2003, the district court stayed the petitioner's deportation until further notice. Because the petitioner was still represented by Moore, the attorney who had received notice but did not appear at Grigous's hearing, the government petitioned the court for a conflict hearing to ascertain whether the petitioner wanted to continue to be represented by Moore and whether he wished to waive any ineffective assistance of counsel claim against Moore. The district court scheduled a conflict hearing, but continued it because Grigous lacked an interpreter. Moore then filed a motion for a change of venue, explaining that Grigous had moved to Massachusetts. 8 Before the rescheduled conflict hearing took place and before the court ruled on the venue motion, the government filed a motion for a stay of proceedings, informing the court that Moore had been disbarred from the Massachusetts bar on August 8, 2003, for lying on his bar application. The government also noted that Moore had previously been a member of the Connecticut bar, but he had resigned in conjunction with grievance and criminal proceedings in 1971. Although Moore had retained his admission to practice in the federal district court in Connecticut, civil proceedings were about to commence on that admission as well. Because Moore was no longer licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction, the government sought to stay proceedings until Moore either withdrew from the case or until the civil proceedings on his authorization to practice in the district court had concluded. The government did not object to continuing the stay of deportation until the issue was resolved. 9 On October 2, 2003, the district court granted the motion for the stay of proceedings and continued the stay of deportation. On October 14, 2003, a new attorney, Robert Lucheme, appeared on behalf of Grigous, claiming to replace Moore. Lucheme filed a motion for decision, explaining that there is no claim for ineffective assistance of counsel and that any such claim would be procedurally barred in any event. The motion stated that the only issue in this case was whether Grigous had received the proper notice of his missed hearing. The government opposed the motion, arguing that [t]o the contrary, the record, as it stands now, could be subject to a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel and that, based on the facts of this case, such a claim might not be procedurally barred. The government also expressed concern that Grigous's new attorney may be working with Moore, that Moore had not formally withdrawn from the case, and that on the eve of the last hearing, Moore had offered the government a signed stipulation dismissing Grigous's habeas petition with prejudice, an offer that the government did not feel comfortable accepting. Lucheme responded with a motion for sanctions, claiming that the government was improperly attempting to discredit him in the proceedings. On January 16, 2004, Moore filed a motion to withdraw as counsel. 10 On January 29, 2004, the district court granted the petitioner's motion for a change of venue to the federal district court in Massachusetts. Because of the change in venue, the court denied as moot Lucheme's motions for a decision and sanctions and Moore's motion to withdraw. 11 Grigous obtained a new attorney for his proceedings in Massachusetts. However, before any decision was reached by the district court in Massachusetts, the government moved to transfer the case to the court of appeals pursuant to section 106(c) of the REAL ID Act of 2005, Pub.L. No. 109-13, Div. B, 119 Stat. 231, which Congress had recently enacted. 1 The district court granted the motion and transferred the case to us. Pursuant to section 106(c) of the REAL ID Act, we treat the transferred habeas petition as a petition for review under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(2).