Court Opinion

ID: 9390041
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-04-26 19:00:52.835092+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:31.298521
License: Public Domain

USCA11 Case: 22-11958    Document: 19-1      Date Filed: 04/26/2023   Page: 1 of 10

                                                    [DO NOT PUBLISH]
                                    In the
                 United States Court of Appeals
                         For the Eleventh Circuit

                           ____________________

                                 No. 22-11958
                           Non-Argument Calendar
                           ____________________

        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
                                                       Plaintiff-Appellee,
        versus
        BRENDAN PAUL WAGNER,

                                                    Defendant-Appellant.

                           ____________________

                  Appeal from the United States District Court
                       for the Middle District of Florida
                  D.C. Docket No. 8:05-cr-00227-RAL-MAP-1
                           ____________________
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        2                         Opinion of the Court                     22-11958

        Before JORDAN, BRANCH, and TJOFLAT, Circuit Judges.
        PER CURIAM:
               Brendan Paul Wagner, a former federal prisoner proceeding
        pro se, appeals the District Court for the Middle District of Florida’s
        May 2022 denial of his motion to clarify his 2005 criminal judgment
        and grant him relief from the registration requirements of the Sex
        Offender Registration and Notification Act (the “SORNA”), 34
        U.S.C. § 20901, et seq. Wagner argues that the District Court erred
        in denying his motion for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. The
        government, in turn, objects that we lack jurisdiction over Wag-
        ner’s appeal in at least one respect. For the reasons discussed be-
        low, we dismiss the appeal in part and affirm the District Court in
        part.
                                              I.
               On June 1, 2005, Brendan Paul Wagner was charged in an
        Information with one count of shipping child pornography in in-
        terstate commerce in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(1) and 2. 1
        He pleaded guilty and, in exchange, the United States Attorney’s
        Office for the Middle District of Florida agreed not to charge him
        with any other criminal offenses related to the conduct giving rise

        1 Typically, a defendant in a federal criminal case cannot “be held to answer
        for [] capital, or otherwise infamous crime[s], unless on a presentment or in-
        dictment of a Grand Jury.” U.S. Const. amend. V. In the matter before us,
        Wagner waived his right to an indictment.
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        22-11958               Opinion of the Court                         3

        to the plea agreement. Following a hearing, the District Court ac-
        cepted Wagner’s guilty plea. The Court sentenced Wagner to 87
        months’ imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised re-
        lease. As part of his supervised release, Wagner was required to
        “register with the state sexual offender registration agency(s) in any
        state where he resides, visits, is employed, carries on a vacation, or
        is a student, as directed by the probation officer.” J., Doc. 15 at 4.
        Wagner was released from federal prison on March 16, 2012. His
        supervised release ended on March 16, 2015.
               On March 21, 2022, Wagner, proceeding pro se, filed a mo-
        tion in the District Court to terminate his duty to register as a sex
        offender under the SORNA. He asserted that under the SORNA
        he qualified as a Tier I sex offender and therefore had a sex offender
        registration period of 15 years, which began to run when he was
        released from custody on March 16, 2012. When a Tier 1 sex of-
        fender maintains a “clean record” for ten years, the duration of the
        duty to maintain a SORNA sex offender registration shall be re-
        duced from 15 years to 10. Wagner stated that he completed the
        statutory requirements for terminating his federal duty to register
        as of March 16, 2022—ten years after being released from federal
        custody.
              The next day, the District Court issued an order (the “March
        Order”) denying Wagner’s motion. That order stated: “The Court
        agrees with the rationale of United States v. Studeny, 2019 WL
        859271 (W.D. Wash. 2/22/2019) and Wiggins v. United States,
        2019 WL 5079557 (S.D. Ind. 10/10/2019) that the Court lacks
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        4                         Opinion of the Court                     22-11958

        jurisdiction to grant the relief requested by the motion.”2 Order,
        Doc. 18.
               Wagner, still proceeding pro se, did not immediately appeal
        the March Order, choosing instead to file a motion citing both Fed-
        eral Rule of Criminal Procedure 36 and Federal Rule of Civil Pro-
        cedure 60. Wagner requested that the Court “correct, reconsider,
        or clarify its final judgment” by identifying: (1) what tier classifica-
        tion Wagner’s offense is under the SORNA; (2) how long he must
        register as a sex offender under the SORNA; and (3) under what
        circumstances, if any, his federal duty to register under the SORNA
        can be reduced. Def. R. 36 Mot., Doc. 19 at 1.
               Wagner argued that the District Court retained jurisdiction
        to consider his federal duty to register until that part of the Court’s
        judgment had been fully satisfied. The motion argued that Federal
        Rule of Criminal Procedure 36 allowed a court to correct a clerical
        error in a judgment or order at any time. It further stated that
        while there were no federal rules authorizing motions for recon-
        sideration, both this Court and the Supreme Court have permitted
        such motions in criminal cases. Similarly, while no federal rules
        authorize motions for clarification, several courts have interpreted

        2 In Studeny and Wiggins, the District Courts for the Western District of
        Washington and the Southern District of Indiana, respectively, held that the
        SORNA did not create a private right of action and as such the district courts
        lacked subject matter jurisdiction to entertain motions brought under the
        SORNA.
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        22-11958               Opinion of the Court                         5

        such motions as being brought under Federal Rule of Civil Proce-
        dure 60(b).
                Wagner’s Rule 36 motion reiterated his earlier arguments
        that he was a Tier I offender under the SORNA, that the SORNA
        extended his full registration period to 15 years with a possibility
        that it could be reduced by five years for having a “clean record,”
        and that he qualified for such a reduction. The District Court en-
        tered an order (the “May Order”) denying Wagner’s motion on
        May 25, 2022. The Court stated:
              The Court reiterates that it lacks jurisdiction in this
              case based on the cases cited in the order denying De-
              fendant's earlier motion, as well as the fact that De-
              fendant has completed his terms of incarceration and
              supervised release. The Court declines to answer the
              questions posed by Defendant because the Court has
              no authority to issue an advisory opinion.
        Order, Doc. 20. Wagner filed a notice of appeal of the May Order
        on June 8, 2022.
                                         II.
               A notice of appeal in a criminal case usually must be filed
        within 14 days of the entry of judgment, or if the district court
        makes a finding of excusable neglect or good cause, within an ex-
        tended period of time. Fed. R. App. P. 4(b)(1)(A), (b)(4). However,
        the time limits proscribed in the Federal Rules of Appellate Proce-
        dure are not jurisdictional in a criminal case; therefore, if the gov-
        ernment does not dispute the timeliness of the appeal, the appeal
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        6                       Opinion of the Court                   22-11958

        may proceed. See United States v. Lopez, 562 F.3d 1309, 1313–14
        (11th Cir. 2009).
               Moreover, a notice of appeal must “designate the judg-
        ment—or the appealable order—from which the appeal is taken.”
        Fed. R. App. P. 3(c)(1)(B). We may look to the record, including
        the parties’ briefs, to determine the orders or parts thereof an ap-
        pellant intended to appeal. Nichols v. Ala. State Bar, 815 F.3d 726,
        731 (11th Cir. 2016).
               Here, to the extent that Wagner is attempting to appeal the
        March Order, we lack jurisdiction to entertain the appeal, as his
        notice of appeal explicitly designates only the May Order. Regard-
        less, Wagner filed the notice of appeal on June 8, 2022, 79 days after
        the District Court issued its March Order, which renders it un-
        timely as to that order. Fed. R. App. P. 4(b)(1)(A). Therefore, our
        jurisdiction is limited to review of the May Order denying Wag-
        ner’s second motion, and we dismiss his appeal to the extent it chal-
        lenges the March Order.
                                          III.
               We review questions regarding subject-matter jurisdiction
        de novo. See Stovall v. City of Cocoa, 117 F.3d 1238, 1240 (11th
        Cir. 1997). “[I]t it is well settled that a federal court is obligated to
        inquire into subject-matter jurisdiction sua sponte whenever it may
        be lacking.” Bochese v. Town of Ponce Inlet, 405 F.3d 964, 975
        (11th Cir. 2005) (quotations omitted). When appropriate, we will
        review de novo the correction of a written judgment under Federal
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        22-11958                Opinion of the Court                         7

        Rule of Criminal Procedure 36. United States v. Portillo, 363 F.3d
        1161, 1164 (11th Cir. 2004). We also “may affirm for any reason
        supported by the record, even if not relied upon by the district
        court.” United States v. Al-Arian, 514 F.3d 1184, 1189 (11th Cir.
        2008).
               Federal courts have limited jurisdiction and possess only the
        power authorized by Congress or the Constitution. Kokkonen v.
        Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375, 377, 114 S. Ct. 1673,
        1675 (1994). We presume that “federal courts lack jurisdiction un-
        less the contrary appears affirmatively from the record.” Renne v.
        Geary, 501 U.S. 312, 316, 111 S. Ct. 2331, 2336 (1991) (quotations
        omitted). The burden of overcoming this presumption rests upon
        the party asserting jurisdiction. Kokkonen, 511 U.S. at 377, 114 S.
        Ct. at 1675. District courts lack the inherent authority to modify a
        defendant's sentence and “may do so only when authorized by a
        statute or rule.” United States v. Puentes, 803 F.3d 597, 606 (11th
        Cir. 2015).
               As a rule, if a district court concludes that it lacks subject
        matter jurisdiction over a case, the court must dismiss that case.
        Cf. Cani v. United States, 331 F.3d 1210, 1216 (11th Cir. 2003) (con-
        struing a dismissal as a denial because the district court possessed
        subject matter jurisdiction and should have denied the defendant's
        motion on the merits); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3) (civil cases).
        We “may affirm, modify, vacate, set aside or reverse any judgment,
        decree, or order of a court lawfully brought before it for review.”
        28 U.S.C. § 2106.
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        8                        Opinion of the Court                   22-11958

               Procedurally, Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 36 per-
        mits a district court to correct, at any time, a clerical error in a judg-
        ment, order, or other part of the record, or correct an error in the
        record arising from oversight or omission. Fed. R. Crim. P. 36.
        Rule 36 may not be used to make a substantive alteration to a crim-
        inal sentence, however. Portillo, 363 F.3d at 1164. In determining
        the terms of a sentence, it is the intent of the sentencing judge
        which controls, and that intent is to be determined by reference to
        the record. United States v. Purcell, 715 F.2d 561, 563 (11th Cir.
        1983).
                Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) allows a party to seek
        relief or reopen his case in certain limited circumstances. Fed. R.
        Civ. P. 60(b). However, “Rule 60(b) simply does not provide for
        relief from judgment in a criminal case.” United States v. Mosavi,
        138 F.3d 1365, 1366 (11th Cir. 1998) (finding that the district court
        lacked subject matter jurisdiction necessary to provide Rule 60(b)
        relief where defendant's Rule 60(b) motion challenged criminal for-
        feitures); see also United States v. Fair, 326 F.3d 1317, 1318 (11th
        Cir. 2003).
                Moreover, federal courts are “not in the business of issuing
        advisory opinions that do not affect the rights of litigants in the case
        before [them].” See Gagliardi v. TJCV Land Tr., 889 F.3d 728, 733
        (11th Cir. 2018) (civil suit ultimately deemed moot and no longer
        justiciable).
               Here, the District Court correctly found that it lacked juris-
        diction to grant Wagner’s motion under either Fed. R. Crim. P. 36
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        22-11958                Opinion of the Court                         9

        or Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b). First, while a pro se litigant’s motion
        should be construed liberally, Wagner’s motion explicitly sought a
        modification of the original 2005 judgment in his criminal case un-
        der the aforementioned rules. Wagner asked the District Court to
        add to his original judgment a determination of his SORNA Tier,
        the length of time he was required to register, and any possible re-
        ductions to said requirement. These substantive determinations
        clearly fall outside of the “minor and mechanical” clerical errors
        covered under Rule 36. Portillo, 363 F.3d 1164–65. Additionally, it
        is unclear, and Wagner has not demonstrated, how the failure to
        include information concerning the SORNA in a judgment issued
        before the passage of the SORNA could have been an error caused
        by oversight or omission.
               Additionally, the Court properly rejected Wagner’s second
        proposed route for alteration, under Rule 60(b), because that pro-
        vision is only applicable in civil cases, not criminal proceedings like
        Wagner’s. See e.g., Mosavi, 138 F.3d at 1366. Further, to the extent
        Wagner sought answers to certain questions which might have al-
        lowed him to file a claim for relief in the future, the District Court
        correctly declined to provide answers, because—even if jurisdic-
        tion otherwise existed—it could not issue what would constitute,
        in essence, an “advisory opinion.” See Gagliardi, 889 F.3d at 733.
               Finally, we note that, where a district court concludes that it
        lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over a case, it must dismiss it. Cf.
        Cani, 331 F.3d at 1216. Therefore, we will construe the District
        Court’s order denying Wagner’s order for lack of subject-matter
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        10                      Opinion of the Court                   22-11958

        jurisdiction as a dismissal for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Id.;
        28 U.S.C. § 2106. As such, we affirm.
               DISMISSED IN PART, AFFIRMED IN PART