Courts v. Superior Court

Background

Rene Courts, an inmate at the San Francisco County Jail, filed this self-represented action seeking a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. That statute allows a federal court to review state-court custody when the custody allegedly violates the Constitution, federal laws, or treaties of the United States. The court reviewed the petition under the procedures governing initial review of § 2254 petitions.

Deficiencies in the Petition

The court identified two problems. First, the petition did not identify the decision that Courts wanted to challenge. The court instructed him to clearly identify that decision in an amended petition.

Second, the petition did not allege a violation of any constitutional right, federal law, or treaty. The section requesting the grounds for relief was blank. Although the filing included forms, a checklist, and sample pleading paragraphs, it did not identify a legal claim or facts showing how Courts’ rights were violated. The court instructed him to identify his claims and provide a straightforward factual statement supporting each one.

Ruling and Deadlines

The court DISMISSED the petition for a writ of habeas corpus WITH LEAVE TO AMEND. Courts was required to file an amended petition by June 5, 2020, using the case caption and case number and marking the filing “Amended Petition.” The court stated that the amended petition had to be a complete statement of his claims and that failure to meet the deadline would result in dismissal of the action.

The court also required Courts to pay the $5 filing fee or submit a completed application to proceed without paying the fee by June 5, 2020. The opinion does not decide whether Courts was entitled to habeas relief on the underlying issues because the petition did not adequately identify the challenged decision or any federal-rights violation. Judge Edward M. Chen signed the order on April 16, 2020.