Quinones v. Lee

Background

Ricardo Quinones was the petitioner, and William Lee, identified in the caption as a superintendent, was the respondent. Quinones filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, a request for court relief from allegedly unlawful custody or detention. The judgment does not describe the petition’s specific claims or the respondent’s arguments. It states that the court’s ruling was based on an order dated December 19, 2023 and a report and recommendation (R&R).

Ruling

The court stated that it found “no error, clear or otherwise,” in the R&R. It therefore overruled Quinones’s objections and adopted the R&R in its entirety as the court’s opinion. The court granted the respondent’s motion to dismiss and dismissed the habeas petition. The judgment states that the case was closed; it does not add a “with prejudice” or “without prejudice” designation.

Appeal-related rulings

The court determined that Quinones had not made the required substantial showing that a constitutional right was denied, so it would not issue a certificate of appealability. It also certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without paying the required court fees. The judgment was entered on December 19, 2023, by the clerk of court. The supplied case information identifies Vincent Briccetti as the judge. Because the judgment adopts an R&R without explaining the underlying habeas analysis, the opinion text alone does not show whether the petition was rejected on its merits or on a threshold ground.