Filed: Sep. 18, 2009
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FILED FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS _ ELEVENTH CIRCUIT SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 No. 08-16541 THOMAS K. KAHN Non-Argument Calendar CLERK _ D. C. Docket No. 07-00295-CV-4-SPM-WCS RICKY SWEET, Petitioner-Appellant, versus WALTER A. MCNEIL, Respondent-Appellee. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida _ (September 18, 2009) Before DUBINA, Chief Judge, CARNES and WILSON, Circuit Judges. PER CU
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FILED FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS _ ELEVENTH CIRCUIT SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 No. 08-16541 THOMAS K. KAHN Non-Argument Calendar CLERK _ D. C. Docket No. 07-00295-CV-4-SPM-WCS RICKY SWEET, Petitioner-Appellant, versus WALTER A. MCNEIL, Respondent-Appellee. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida _ (September 18, 2009) Before DUBINA, Chief Judge, CARNES and WILSON, Circuit Judges. PER CUR..
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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FILED
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
________________________ ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
No. 08-16541 THOMAS K. KAHN
Non-Argument Calendar CLERK
________________________
D. C. Docket No. 07-00295-CV-4-SPM-WCS
RICKY SWEET,
Petitioner-Appellant,
versus
WALTER A. MCNEIL,
Respondent-Appellee.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Florida
_________________________
(September 18, 2009)
Before DUBINA, Chief Judge, CARNES and WILSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Appellant Ricky Sweet, a Florida state prisoner, appeals pro se the district
court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 petition. We granted a certificate of
appealability on one issue: whether the district court erred in finding that it lacked
subject matter jurisdiction over Sweet’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel,
based on counsel’s failure to object to a violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause,
because Sweet was not “in custody” on the lesser, simple battery conviction at the
time he filed his § 2254 petition.
On July 15, 2003, Sweet was convicted in a jury trial of one count of
burglary with a person battered or assaulted (Count 1), and one count of battery
(Count 2). The state trial court sentenced Sweet to life for Count 1, and to a
sentence of 11 months and 29 days for Count 2. The state trial court instructed that
the sentences run concurrently. Sweet filed a direct appeal that he later dismissed.
He then filed a state post-conviction motion, arguing for the first time that being
convicted of both simple battery and burglary with assault and/or battery
constituted double jeopardy, and his counsel’s failure to object to this prejudiced
him. After an evidentiary hearing, the state court denied relief. On appeal, the
Florida Court of Appeals affirmed. Sweet then filed the present federal habeas
petition.
Procedurally, we review de novo the dismissal of an action for lack of
subject matter jurisdiction. Bradley v. Pryor,
305 F.3d 1287, 1289 (11th Cir. 2002).
2
Failure to object to the magistrate’s report will usually preclude a party from
seeking review of the report’s factual findings. See Resolution Trust Corp. v.
Hallmark Builders, Inc.,
996 F.2d 1144, 1149 (11th Cir. 1993) (addressing a civil
contract case); Hardin v. Wainwright,
678 F.2d 589, 591 (11th Cir. 1982) (“failure
to object to a magistrate’s report bar(s) the party from attacking on appeal the
factual findings. . .except upon grounds of plain error or manifest injustice.”
(internal quotation marks omitted)). While Sweet did not object to any findings
with respect to the double jeopardy-based ineffective assistance claim, this would
preclude challenging only the factual findings, not the legal conclusions. The
magistrate judge found – and the district court adopted – that the sentence for
Count 2 had been completed. Sweet therefore waived the right to challenge that
finding.
In order for a federal court to have subject matter jurisdiction over a habeas
proceeding pursuant to statute, the petitioner must also be “in custody pursuant to
the judgment of a State court.” Unger v. Moore,
258 F.3d 1260, 1263 (11th Cir.
2001) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 2254). In Maleng v. Cook,
490 U.S. 488, 491–92,
109
S. Ct. 1923, 1925–26,
104 L. Ed. 2d 540 (1989), the Supreme Court held that once
a sentence has fully expired, the petitioner is not “in custody” for purposes of
attacking that conviction in a habeas petition.
3
In Garlotte v. Fordice,
515 U.S. 39, 45-46,
115 S. Ct. 1948, 1952, 132 L.
Ed. 2d 36 (1995), the Supreme Court held that consecutive sentences are viewed in
the aggregate. When a prisoner serving multiple consecutive sentences has
completed one, but not all, habeas jurisdiction exists to challenge the conviction
for the expired sentence, because invalidation of that conviction would advance the
prisoner’s release date.
Id. at 47, 115 S. Ct. at 1952. However, the Court did not
address concurrent sentences.
Because the record demonstrates that the habeas petition was filed in June
2007, long after the end of the shorter sentence, in February 2004, Sweet was no
longer “in custody” for the battery charge. Garlotte’s holding is applicable only to
consecutive sentences, not to concurrent ones. The fact that an expired consecutive
sentence, if vacated, would advance the defendant’s release date was central to the
holding that a prisoner could challenge the underlying conviction of an expired
sentence in a habeas proceeding.
Id. at 47, 115 S. Ct. at 1952. By contrast, a
successful habeas action resulting in a vacated concurrent sentence would have no
effect on Sweet’s release date from his other conviction and sentence.
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court denying habeas relief.
AFFIRMED.
4