Sugarman v. Pitzer

Decision Date02 April 1999
Docket NumberNo. 98-5522,98-5522
Citation170 F.3d 1145
PartiesNeil Paris SUGARMAN, Appellant, v. Percy PITZER, Warden, USP Beaumont, et al., Appellees.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit

Neil Paris Sugarman, pro se.

Before: WALD, RANDOLPH, and GARLAND, Circuit Judges.

Opinion for the court filed PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM:

Appellant, a federal prisoner, filed a habeas petition pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The district court dismissed the petition, and this court must now determine whether appeals challenging the dismissal of a habeas petition brought by a federal prisoner pursuant to § 2241 are included within the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act's (AEDPA) certificate of appealability (COA) requirement. We hold that a COA is not required for federal prisoner § 2241 appeals.

Under the AEDPA, a COA is necessary in order to appeal "[t]he final order in a habeas corpus proceeding in which the detention complained of arises out of process issued by a State court; or ... the final order in a proceeding under section 2255." See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1). Section 2253 does not refer to § 2241 claims by federal prisoners.

The circuits that have addressed the issue have held that § 2253's COA requirement does not apply to § 2241 claims brought by federal prisoners. See McIntosh v. U.S. Parole Commission, 115 F.3d 809, 810 n. 1 (10th Cir.1997) (no COA required for federal prisoner to appeal the denial of § 2241 petition); Forde v. U.S. Parole Commission, 114 F.3d 878, 879 (9th Cir.1997) (same); Ojo v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 106 F.3d 680, 681-82 (5th Cir.1997) (same). See also Ferrante v. U.S. Bureau of Prisons, 990 F.Supp. 367, 375 n. 2 (D.N.J.1998). In light of the plain language of the AEDPA, which omits federal § 2241 petitions from the list of those requiring COAs, we now join in the conclusion that federal § 2241 petitions are excluded from the COA requirement.

The remaining issues pertaining to this appeal are resolved through an unpublished order issued simultaneously with this opinion.

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7 cases
  • Hoffler v. Bezio
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit
    • August 8, 2013
    ...the COA requirements for federal prisoners, see, e.g., Jeffers v. Chandler, 253 F.3d 827, 830 (5th Cir.2001); Sugarman v. Pitzer, 170 F.3d 1145, 1146 (D.C.Cir.1999), are simply inapposite and, therefore, warrant no discussion. 8. Respondents do not dispute that Hoffler is in “custody” for p......
  • U.S. v. Cepero
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Third Circuit
    • March 6, 2000
    ...requirement to federal prisoner appeals from "the final order in a proceeding under section 2255"); see also Sugarman v. Pitzer, 170 F.3d 1145, 1146 (D.C. Cir. 1999) ("We hold that a COA is not required for federal prisoner S 2241 appeals."); Ojo v. INS, 106 F.3d 680, 681 (5th Cir. This is ......
  • Lindstrom v. Graber
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Seventh Circuit
    • February 1, 2000
    ...habeas corpus cases brought solely under 28 U.S.C. sec. 2241. Bush v. Pitzer, 133 F.3d 455, 456 (7th Cir. 1997); Sugarman v. Pitzer, 170 F.3d 1145 (D.C. Cir. 1999) (per curiam); Stringer v. Williams, 161 F.3d 259, 261-62 (5th Cir. Meanwhile, Lindstrom had on July 19 filed a second habeas co......
  • Montez v. McKinna
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Tenth Circuit
    • April 3, 2000
    ...not control the disposition of this case.5 See, e.g., Murphy v. United States, 199 F.3d 599, 601 n.2 (2d Cir. 1999); Sugarman v. Pitzer, 170 F.3d 1145, 1146 (D.C. Cir. 1999); Ojo v. INS, 106 F.3d 680, 681 (5th Cir. 1997); Bradshaw, 86 F.3d at 166. Accordingly, consistent with the plain lang......
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