Filed: Apr. 06, 2018
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: ALD-087 NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT _ No. 17-3380 _ IN RE: KALLEN E. DORSETT, JR., Petitioner _ On a Petition for Writ of Mandamus from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Related to E.D. Pa. Civil. No. 5-12-cr-00401-001) District Judge: Honorable Joseph F. Leeson _ Submitted Pursuant to Rule 21, Fed. R. App. P. December 28, 2017 Before: MCKEE, VANASKIE, and SCIRICA, Circuit Judges (Opinion filed: April 6, 2018) _ O
Summary: ALD-087 NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT _ No. 17-3380 _ IN RE: KALLEN E. DORSETT, JR., Petitioner _ On a Petition for Writ of Mandamus from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Related to E.D. Pa. Civil. No. 5-12-cr-00401-001) District Judge: Honorable Joseph F. Leeson _ Submitted Pursuant to Rule 21, Fed. R. App. P. December 28, 2017 Before: MCKEE, VANASKIE, and SCIRICA, Circuit Judges (Opinion filed: April 6, 2018) _ OP..
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ALD-087 NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 17-3380
___________
IN RE: KALLEN E. DORSETT, JR.,
Petitioner
____________________________________
On a Petition for Writ of Mandamus from the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
(Related to E.D. Pa. Civil. No. 5-12-cr-00401-001)
District Judge: Honorable Joseph F. Leeson
____________________________________
Submitted Pursuant to Rule 21, Fed. R. App. P.
December 28, 2017
Before: MCKEE, VANASKIE, and SCIRICA, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: April 6, 2018)
__________
OPINION*
__________
PER CURIAM
Kallen Dorsett filed this mandamus petition pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1651, seeking
an order directing the District Court to rule on his pro se motion to vacate his sentence
under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. For the following reasons, we will deny the petition.
*
This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not
constitute binding precedent.
In 2012, Dorsett pleaded guilty to various drug and weapons offenses in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Pursuant to the plea
agreement Dorsett waived his right to appeal or collaterally challenge his convictions.
On March 3, 2015, Dorsett filed a motion to vacate his sentence pursuant to 28
U.S.C. § 2255. The Government filed a motion to dismiss, seeking to enforce the
collateral challenge waiver. In response, Dorsett sought to amend his § 2255 motion to
add additional claims. The Government again sought to dismiss the motion. Dorsett then
filed a motion for discovery which the Government opposed. On March 6, 2017, Dorsett
filed his reply to the Government’s motion to dismiss. During these proceedings, the
matter was assigned to the Honorable James Knoll Gardner, who had diligently been
ruling on requests for extension of time, requests to file documents under seal, as well as
motions to unseal documents. On May 24, 2017, the matter was administratively
assigned to the Honorable Legrome Davis and on October 11, 2017, it was again
administratively reassigned to the Honorable Joseph F. Leeson, Jr.
On November 1, 2017, Dorsett filed a mandamus petition. Dorsett objects to the
delay in the adjudication of his § 2255 motion. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1651, we may “issue
all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of [our . . . jurisdiction] and agreeable to the
usages and principles of law.” A writ of mandamus is an extraordinary remedy. See
Kerr v. U.S. Dist. Court,
426 U.S. 394, 402 (1976). To justify the use of this
extraordinary remedy, a petitioner must show that he has a clear and indisputable right to
the writ and no other adequate means to obtain the relief desired. See Haines v. Liggett
2
Grp. Inc.,
975 F.2d 81, 89 (3d Cir. 1992). “[A]n appellate court may issue a writ of
mandamus on the ground that undue delay is tantamount to a failure to exercise
jurisdiction.” Madden v. Myers,
102 F.3d 74, 79 (3d Cir. 1996).
Any delay in adjudicating Dorsett’s petition does not warrant mandamus relief in
this case. Dorsett’s petition has been ripe for resolution since the filing of his reply on
March 6, 2017. Since then, however, the District Court has administratively reassigned
the matter twice and the matter had only been pending before the Honorable Joseph F.
Leeson, Jr. for less than a month before Dorsett filed the present petition. We do not
believe that the delay in ruling on the petition is so lengthy that it is “tantamount to a
failure to exercise jurisdiction.” See
Madden, 102 F.3d at 79. We are confident that the
District Court will rule on the petition without undue delay.
For the foregoing reasons, we will deny the petition for a writ of mandamus.
3