Filed: Dec. 06, 2019
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: BLD-055 NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT _ No. 19-2070 _ TAYLOR MENDEZ, Appellant v. WARDEN LEWISBURG USP _ On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (M.D. Pa. Civ. No. 1:19-cv-00428) District Judge: Honorable Sylvia H. Rambo _ Submitted for Possible Summary Action Pursuant to Third Circuit L.A.R. 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6 November 26, 2019 Before: AMBRO, GREENAWAY, Jr., and BIBAS, Circuit Judges (Opinion filed: Decemb
Summary: BLD-055 NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT _ No. 19-2070 _ TAYLOR MENDEZ, Appellant v. WARDEN LEWISBURG USP _ On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (M.D. Pa. Civ. No. 1:19-cv-00428) District Judge: Honorable Sylvia H. Rambo _ Submitted for Possible Summary Action Pursuant to Third Circuit L.A.R. 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6 November 26, 2019 Before: AMBRO, GREENAWAY, Jr., and BIBAS, Circuit Judges (Opinion filed: Decembe..
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BLD-055 NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 19-2070
___________
TAYLOR MENDEZ,
Appellant
v.
WARDEN LEWISBURG USP
____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
(M.D. Pa. Civ. No. 1:19-cv-00428)
District Judge: Honorable Sylvia H. Rambo
____________________________________
Submitted for Possible Summary Action
Pursuant to Third Circuit L.A.R. 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6
November 26, 2019
Before: AMBRO, GREENAWAY, Jr., and BIBAS, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: December 6, 2019)
___________
OPINION *
___________
*
This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not
constitute binding precedent.
PER CURIAM
Federal inmate Taylor Mendez filed a habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241
challenging a prison-imposed restriction on his visitation privileges. Concluding that
Mendez could not pursue his claim under § 2241, the District Court entered an order
dismissing the habeas petition without prejudice to Mendez’s refiling the action as a civil
rights matter. See DC Op. at 4 (“[Mendez] seeks injunctive relief in the form of an Order
directing the BOP to allow him visitation with his girlfriend. As such, Mendez’s petition
does not challenge the duration and lawfulness of his confinement, which is the proper
use of § 2241 petition.”). Mendez appealed.
We have appellate jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. Cf. Welch v. Folsom,
925
F.2d 666, 668 (3d Cir. 1991). Because the District Court decided this matter correctly,
see Velazquez v. Superintendent Fayette SCI,
937 F.3d 151, 158 (3d Cir. 2019)
(acknowledging Circuit precedent holding “that a petitioner who seeks habeas relief for
claims that do not qualify as attacking the fact, duration, or execution of a sentence may
not maintain the suit as a habeas action”), we will affirm, see 3d Cir. L.A.R. 27.4 (2011);
3d Cir. I.O.P. 10.6 (2018). 1
1
This is not a case where the inmate-plaintiff simply mislabeled his initial filing;
Mendez’s form-of-action selection was purposeful. See
§ 2241 Pet. at 1. Under the
circumstances, we do not take issue with the District Court’s dismissing the so-called
habeas petition without prejudice instead of, for example, offering Mendez the
opportunity to replead. Cf. Royce v. Hahn,
151 F.3d 116, 118 (3d Cir. 1998).
2