ALLISON CLAIRE, District Judge.
Petitioner is a state prisoner proceeding pro se on a petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Currently before the Court are petitioner's motions for stay and extension of time. ECF Nos. 17 and 19. Also pending is respondent's motion to dismiss the petition as untimely. ECF No. 11.
On July 26, 2016,
Petitioner filed a motion for stay pursuant to
District courts have the authority to issue stays where such a stay would be a proper exercise of discretion.
As an initial matter, respondent argues that there are not any unexhausted claims within the petition (ECF No. 18), and a review of the petition supports that argument (ECF No. 1 at 3-5). Petitioner's "new evidence" appears to relate to Ground One of the petition (
Since petitioner has not requested a
Assuming that the petition is mixed, the court must determine whether the
With respect to respondent's argument that petitioner's new evidence does not address the untimeliness of his petition, it appears that petitioner may be making a claim of actual innocence based on new DNA evidence. ECF No. 1 at 5. However, "petitioner must produce proof of his innocence that is sufficient to convince a federal court that a failure to entertain his claim would constitute a fundamental miscarriage of justice" in order to invoke the actual innocence exception to the statute of limitations.
The Supreme Court held in
Petitioner requests that, if the court does not issue a stay, he be given an extension of time of ninety days in order to file an opposition to the motion to dismiss. ECF No. 17. Petitioner previously requested and was granted two extensions of time to respond to the motion to dismiss. ECF Nos. 14, 16. In the order granting petitioner's first request for extension, he was explicitly reminded that he needed to address respondent's argument that his petition was barred by the statute of limitations. ECF No. 14. In the order granting petitioner a second extension of time, the court informed him that no further extensions of time would be granted absent a showing of extraordinary circumstances. ECF No. 16.
Respondent filed his motion to dismiss on March 10, 2016. ECF No. 11. At the time petitioner filed his motion for stay or extension, he had had over three months in which to file a response to the motion to dismiss. The motion does not made a showing of extraordinary circumstances or explain what petitioner was doing during those three months, and as noted above it fails to address how the new evidence would overcome respondent's claim that his petition is untimely. Petitioner should have been working on his response during the previously granted extensions. It has now been seven months since respondent filed his motion to dismiss. Petitioner will be granted twenty-one days in which to file his opposition. No further extensions of time will be granted and failure to respond to the motion to dismiss will result in a recommendation that the case be dismissed.
Petitioner is instructed that his response to the motion to dismiss must address the expiration of the statute of limitations alleged by respondent. The court cannot address any arguments on the merits if this action is barred due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Petitioner's motion for an extension of time to reply to the opposition to his motion for stay is denied because it is untimely and does not explain why it is late or why petitioner needs so much time.
It is recommended that petitioner's motion for stay be denied because petitioner's new evidence has not been analyzed yet, so the court cannot determine whether petitioner's claim potentially has merit. It is also denied because petitioner has not shown how the new evidence would overcome respondent's claim that the petition is untimely.
Petitioner's request for an extra ninety days to respond to the motion to dismiss is partially granted. Petitioner will have twenty-one days to file a response and the response must address respondent's claim that his petition is untimely. No further extensions of time will be granted and if petitioner does not file a response to the motion to dismiss the undersigned will recommend this case be dismissed.
Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:
1. Petitioner's motion for extension of time to reply to respondent's opposition (ECF No. 19) is denied.
2. Petitioner's motion for a ninety-day extension of time to respond to the motion to dismiss (ECF No. 17) is granted in part. Within twenty one days after the filing date of this order, petitioner shall file and serve an opposition to respondent's motion to dismiss. No further extensions of time will be granted. Failure to file a response to the motion to dismiss will result in a recommendation that this case be dismissed.
IT IS FURTHER RECOMMENDED that petitioner's motion for stay (ECF No. 17) be denied.
These findings and recommendations are submitted to the United States District Judge assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Within fourteen days after being served with these findings and recommendations, any party may file written objections with the court and serve a copy on all parties. Such a document should be captioned "Objections to Magistrate Judge's Findings and Recommendations." Any response to the objections shall be filed and served within fourteen days after service of the objections. The parties are advised that failure to file objections within the specified time may waive the right to appeal the District Court's order. Martinez v. Ylst, 951 F.2d 1153 (9th Cir. 1991).