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Spickler v. State of Maine, 94-2240 (1995)

Court: Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Number: 94-2240 Visitors: 6
Filed: May 19, 1995
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: May 19, 1995 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION] UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUTI ____________________ No. 94-2240 ROBERT D. SPICKLER, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. STATE OF MAINE, Defendant, Appellee. See, e.g., Hafer v. Melo, 502, ___ ____ _____ ____ U.S. 21, 25-26 (1991); , _________ -3-
USCA1 Opinion









May 19, 1995
[NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUTI


____________________


No. 94-2240

ROBERT D. SPICKLER,

Plaintiff, Appellant,

v.

STATE OF MAINE,

Defendant, Appellee.


____________________

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE

[Hon. Gene Carter, U.S. District Judge] ___________________

____________________

Before

Torruella, Chief Judge, ___________
Selya and Boudin, Circuit Judges. ______________

____________________

Robert D. Spickler on brief pro se. __________________
Andrew Ketterer, Attorney General, and Francis E. Ackerman, ________________ _____________________
Assistant Attorney General, on brief for appellee.


____________________


____________________



















Per Curiam. Plaintiff Robert Spickler has filed a 42 __________

U.S.C. 1983 action against the State of Maine, complaining

that the state courts have deprived him of an impartial forum

in violation of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

As plaintiff's complaint is irreparably flawed in various

respects, we affirm the amended judgment of dismissal.

First, it is now settled that a state is not a "person"

subject to suit under 1983. See, e.g., Hafer v. Melo, 502 ___ ____ _____ ____

U.S. 21, 25-26 (1991); Will v. Michigan Dep't of State ____ _________________________

Police, 491 U.S. 58, 62-70 (1989). Second, the action is ______

barred by the Eleventh Amendment. Contrary to plaintiff's

suggestion, the enactment of 1983 did not serve to abrogate

the states' Eleventh Amendment immunity. See, e.g., Quern v. ___ ____ _____

Jordan, 440 U.S. 332, 342 (1979). And contrary to his ______

further contention, such immunity extends to actions seeking

injunctive relief against a state as well as to those simply

seeking damages. See, e.g., Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer ___ ____ ______________________________

Auth. v. Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., 113 S. Ct. 684, 688-89 (1993); _____ ____________________

Pennhurst State School & Hosp. v. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89, _______________________________ _________

100-01 (1984); Cory v. White, 457 U.S. 85, 90-91 (1982).1 ____ _____






____________________

1. Plaintiff does not argue that Maine has effected a
general waiver of its Eleventh Amendment immunity in cases of
this nature. We thus need not address the issue, other than
to note that such a contention has been elsewhere rejected.
See, e.g., Grenier v. Kennebec County, Maine, 733 F. Supp. ___ ____ _______ _______________________
455 (D. Me. 1990).













Third, plaintiff fails to appreciate that lower federal

courts lack jurisdiction "over challenges to state-court

decisions in particular cases arising out of judicial

proceedings even if those challenges allege that the state

court's action was unconstitutional." District of Columbia _____________________

Court of Appeals v. Feldman, 460 U.S. 462, 486 (1983); _________________ _______

accord, e.g., Rooker v. Fidelity Trust Co., 263 U.S. 413 ______ ____ ______ ___________________

(1923). Finally, most if not all of the instant complaint

falls within the scope of the 1987 injunction barring

plaintiff from filing further federal court actions without

leave of court. For the reasons recited above, as well as

those enumerated by the district court, we agree with the

court's conclusion that plaintiff has not made a prima facie

showing as required by that injunction.

Affirmed. _________























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Source:  CourtListener

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