Hedeye v. Joyce
- Rearden
- 1:26-cv-06064
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
Counsel of record per CourtListener. Firm names are approximate.
Hedeye v. Joyce: Judge Rearden transferred Hedeye’s detention petition to the Eastern District of New York because he is detained there.
Moulaye Abdelkerime Hedeye’s detention petition was transferred from the Southern District of New York to the Eastern District of New York; the opinion identifies William Joyce and other respondents in the case.
What happened
In Moulaye Abdelkerime Hedeye v. William Joyce, et al., Hedeye filed a petition asking for release from custody under a federal law allowing challenges to detention. He is detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The court ruled that a detention challenge generally belongs in the federal district where the person is confined because that court has authority over the custodian. The Metropolitan Detention Center is in the Eastern District of New York, so the court transferred the petition there.
Judge Jennifer H. Rearden ordered the clerk to transfer the case immediately and close it in the Southern District of New York. The order did not decide whether Hedeye’s detention is lawful.
The detailed version
- Hedeye v. Joyce · No. 1:26-cv-06064
- Rearden
- July 17, 2026
Background
On July 17, 2026, Moulaye Abdelkerime Hedeye filed a petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, a federal law that allows a person to challenge certain forms of custody in court. The petition sought the immediate release of an individual in custody. The opinion states that Hedeye was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Jurisdiction and Transfer
The court explained that a federal court hearing a detention challenge must have jurisdiction over the person holding the petitioner. For a petition challenging present physical confinement, jurisdiction generally lies in the federal district where the person is confined. The Metropolitan Detention Center is in the Eastern District of New York, not the Southern District of New York.
Ruling
The court transferred the petition to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1404(a) and 1406(a). Because the petition sought immediate release, the court waived the seven-day waiting period under Local Civil Rule 83.1. The clerk was directed to transfer the action upon filing the order and close the case in the Southern District of New York. Judge Jennifer H. Rearden did not decide the merits of Hedeye’s detention challenge.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.