Keith v. United States of America

Background

David Keith was the movant in a civil action against the United States. The judgment also lists related civil and criminal docket numbers: 20 CIV 4410 (GHW) and 15 CR 827 (GHW). The opinion text provided does not describe the underlying claims or the specific relief Keith requested.

Ruling on the motion

The court denied Keith’s motion. It stated that Keith’s first claim lacked substantive merit. It further stated that the remaining claims fell outside the scope of Rule 60(b), which governs certain requests for relief from a judgment or order. Because the judgment does not provide the accompanying memorandum’s analysis, the precise reasoning for each claim is not available in the supplied text.

Appeal-related rulings and disposition

The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and therefore denied Keith permission to appeal without paying the filing fee. The court also denied a certificate of appealability under 28 U.S.C. § 2253, finding that Keith had not made a substantial showing that a constitutional right had been denied. The court entered judgment for the United States and stated that Keith’s civil action, No. 1:25-cv-3298-GHW, was closed.

Classification basis

This is a mixed ruling because the court addressed the substance of Keith’s first claim while disposing of the remaining claims on the threshold ground that they were outside Rule 60(b).