Haxhaj v. Warden of Camp Medical Center for Federal Prisoners Springfield

Background

On July 7, 2025, Shpresim Haxhaj filed a “Request for Reinstatement of Petition and Recognition of Power of Attorney” on behalf of Shpendim Haxhaj. The filing was also submitted in another action. The court had denied the same request in that action on July 9, 2025, and relied on the same reasons in this case.

The filing asked the court to restore a petition filed on behalf of Shpendim Haxhaj and recognize a power of attorney that Shpendim Haxhaj allegedly gave Shpresim Haxhaj. It also sought relief concerning the timing of sentencing, Shpendim Haxhaj’s medical placement, his ability to communicate through Shpresim Haxhaj, and sealing of the filing.

Court’s reasoning

The court stated that the action had been transferred to the Western District of Missouri. Shpresim Haxhaj had not acted before the transferee court received the case papers to stay or otherwise challenge the transfer, and he did not argue that the court lacked authority to transfer the action.

The court said that, without deciding whether Shpresim Haxhaj could bring the requests as Shpendim Haxhaj’s “next friend”—a person seeking to litigate for someone who cannot appear personally—the requests about the timing and circumstances of sentencing were moot because sentencing had already occurred.

The court denied recognition of the power of attorney for the reasons stated in the earlier order. It also denied the request to transfer Shpendim Haxhaj to the medical facility in Springfield because the court had already sentenced him and had recommended that he first be designated to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, or a similar medical facility. If the Bureau of Prisons determined that a medical facility was unnecessary, the court had recommended a facility with the appropriate security level in the New York City metropolitan area.

The court stated that it would not treat the filing as a new petition for a court order challenging Shpendim Haxhaj’s current detention. It explained that a future petition would require Shpresim Haxhaj to establish that he could proceed as Shpendim Haxhaj’s next friend. The court noted that the power-of-attorney document might be relevant to that analysis. The court also stated that Shpendim Haxhaj had been found competent to be sentenced and continued to be represented by counsel.

Disposition

The court denied the request. The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the motion at docket entry 8, file the endorsement under seal so that it could be viewed only by the parties and the court, and mail a copy to Shpresim Haxhaj at his address of record. Judge Katherine Polk Failla signed the order on October 3, 2025.