Filed: Nov. 23, 2016
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT November 23, 2016 _ Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court JOSEPH MICHAEL MOONEY, Petitioner-Appellant, v. No. 16-1302 (D.C. No. 1:16-CV-01100-GPG) DEBRA DUNHAM, Warden, (D. Colo.) Englewood FCI, Respondent-Appellee. _ ORDER AND JUDGMENT * _ Before LUCERO, MATHESON, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges. _ Mr. Joseph Michael Mooney is a federal prisoner who seeks habeas relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Th
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT November 23, 2016 _ Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court JOSEPH MICHAEL MOONEY, Petitioner-Appellant, v. No. 16-1302 (D.C. No. 1:16-CV-01100-GPG) DEBRA DUNHAM, Warden, (D. Colo.) Englewood FCI, Respondent-Appellee. _ ORDER AND JUDGMENT * _ Before LUCERO, MATHESON, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges. _ Mr. Joseph Michael Mooney is a federal prisoner who seeks habeas relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The..
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FILED
United States Court of Appeals
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT November 23, 2016
_________________________________
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
JOSEPH MICHAEL MOONEY,
Petitioner-Appellant,
v. No. 16-1302
(D.C. No. 1:16-CV-01100-GPG)
DEBRA DUNHAM, Warden, (D. Colo.)
Englewood FCI,
Respondent-Appellee.
_________________________________
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
_________________________________
Before LUCERO, MATHESON, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges.
_________________________________
Mr. Joseph Michael Mooney is a federal prisoner who seeks habeas
relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The district court dismissed Mr. Mooney’s
claim, concluding that Mr. Mooney could not invoke § 2241 because he
had an adequate and effective remedy under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Mr. Mooney
appeals, and we affirm.
*
Oral argument would not be helpful in this appeal. As a result, we
are deciding the appeal based on the briefs. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2);
10th Cir. R. 34.1(G).
This order and judgment does not constitute binding precedent except
under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel.
But the order and judgment may be cited for its persuasive value under
Fed. R. App. P. 32.1(a) and 10th Cir. R. 32.1(A).
Under § 2255(e), a federal prisoner can challenge the validity of a
sentence under § 2241 only if § 2255 is “inadequate or ineffective to test
the legality of his detention.” Abernathy v. Wandes,
713 F.3d 538, 547
(10th Cir. 2013) (citations omitted). Use of § 2241 is impermissible if the
“petitioner’s argument challenging the legality of his detention could have
been tested in an initial § 2255 motion.” Prost v. Anderson,
636 F.3d 578,
584 (10th Cir. 2011).
Mr. Mooney cannot use § 2241 because he had an adequate and
effective remedy in § 2255. When Mr. Mooney invoked § 2255, he was
unsuccessful, but his failure to obtain relief under § 2255 does not mean
that the remedy is inadequate or ineffective. See Bradshaw v. Story
86 F.3d
164, 166 (10th Cir. 1996).
Mr. Mooney argues that Prost v. Anderson was incorrectly decided
and leads to constitutional violations. 1 We reject this argument.
In Prost, we held that petitioners cannot invoke § 2241 if they could
have tested their claims in an initial motion filed under § 2255.
Prost, 636
F.3d at 584. Mr. Mooney argues that Prost was incorrectly decided and that
this opinion leads to violations of the U.S. Constitution. But even if we
disagreed with Prost, we would be bound to follow that opinion because
1
Mr. Mooney also presses the merits of his underlying claims. But we
do not reach the merits.
2
one panel cannot overrule another panel. United States v. Killion,
7 F.3d
927, 930 (10th Cir. 1993).
According to Mr. Mooney, the remedy under § 2255 is deficient
because “it fails to allow for a ‘meaningful opportunity’ to raise a claim of
factual innocence.” Appellant’s Br. at 15. But Mr. Mooney had the
opportunity to urge actual innocence when he sought relief under § 2255.
The Constitution does not entitle him to a second opportunity to convince
the court of his actual innocence. Hale v. Fox,
829 F.3d 1162, 1171-72
(10th Cir. 2016), petition for cert. filed (U.S. Oct. 21, 2016) (No. 16-
6511).
Mr. Mooney argues that denying a second chance at proving actual
innocence would violate the Suspension Clause and the constitutional right
to due process. But we recently rejected virtually identical arguments in
Hale v. Fox.
Id. at 1175-76.
* * *
We cannot grant relief under § 2241 because the § 2255 motion
provided a remedy that was adequate and effective. Thus, we affirm the
dismissal of the § 2241 habeas petition.
Entered for the Court
Robert E. Bacharach
Circuit Judge
3