Adams v. Lilly
- Laura Swain
- 1:22-cv-08106
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Adams v. Lilly, Judge Swain transferred Adams’s habeas petition to the Northern District of New York without deciding its merits.
Quinton Adams, whose federal habeas action was transferred to the Northern District of New York, and Lynn Lilly as the respondent. The receiving court was left to decide whether Adams could proceed without paying fees.
What happened
In Adams v. Lilly, Quinton Adams, who was incarcerated and representing himself, challenged the constitutionality of his 2019 conviction in Schenectady County Court through a federal habeas petition.
The court transferred the case to the Northern District of New York because Schenectady County is located there. The court closed the case in the Southern District of New York and left any decision about proceeding without paying fees to the receiving court.
Judge Swain also ruled that Adams would not receive a certificate allowing an appeal and denied permission to appeal without paying fees, finding that he had not made the required showing of a constitutional violation.
The detailed version
- Adams v. Lilly · No. 1:22-cv-08106
- Laura Swain
- Sept. 27, 2022
Background
Quinton Adams, who was incarcerated at Eastern Correctional Facility and proceeding without a lawyer, filed a petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 challenging the constitutionality of his 2019 conviction in Schenectady County Court. The respondent is Lynn Lilly.
Transfer
The court transferred the action under Local Rule 83.3 to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York because Schenectady County is located in that district. The clerk was directed to send Adams a copy of the order and transfer the action. The Southern District of New York’s order closed the case there. The court stated that the receiving court would decide whether Adams could proceed without paying fees.
Appeal-related rulings
The court stated that Adams had not made a substantial showing that a constitutional right was denied, so it would not issue a certificate of appealability. The court also certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without paying fees.
Disposition
The court transferred the action to the Northern District of New York and closed the case in the Southern District of New York. It did not decide whether Adams’s conviction was unconstitutional.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.