LAW.coLAW.co

IN RE: Joel RODRIGUEZ (2021)

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.2021-12-03No. No. 21-10936

Summary

Holding. The court denied Rodriguez's motion for authorization to file a successive § 2255 motion because Borden does not qualify as a new rule of constitutional law under the applicable standard; instead, Borden addressed only statutory interpretation, which does not satisfy the requirements for successive habeas relief.

Rodriguez, a federal prisoner, sought permission to file a second challenge to his conviction for firearm possession by a prohibited person, relying on a recent Supreme Court decision in Borden v. United States. To pursue a successive challenge under federal law, a prisoner must demonstrate either newly discovered evidence that would likely lead to acquittal, or a new constitutional rule that the Supreme Court has made retroactively applicable to older cases. Rodriguez argued that Borden provided such a new constitutional rule.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether Borden v. United States announces a new rule of constitutional law retroactively applicable on collateral review
  • Standards for authorization to file successive § 2255 motions
  • Distinction between new constitutional rules and statutory construction decisions

Procedural posture

Rodriguez moved for authorization to file a successive federal habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 challenging his conviction.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

Joel Rodriguez, federal prisoner # 42309-177, moves for authorization to file a successive 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion challenging his conviction for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(e)(1). He seeks to raise a claim pursuant to Borden v. United States, ––– U.S. ––––, 141 S. Ct. 1817, 210 L.Ed.2d 63 (2021).

To obtain authorization to file a second or successive § 2255 motion, Rodriguez must make a prima facie showing that his proffered § 2255 motion relies on either (1) “newly discovered evidence that, if proven and viewed in light of the evidence as a whole, would be sufficient to establish by clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable factfinder would have found the movant guilty of the offense,” or (2) “a new rule of constitutional law, made retroactive to cases on collateral review by the Supreme Court, that was previously unavailable.” § 2255(h); see 28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(3)(C); Reyes-Requena v. United States, 243 F.3d 893, 897-99 (5th Cir. 2001). Borden does not provide a basis on which Rodriguez may obtain authorization under § 2255(h)(2) because it did not announce a new rule of constitutional law but instead addressed a question of statutory construction. See Borden, 141 S. Ct. at 1825; see also In re Cain, No. 21-13241, 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 30205 *6 (11th Cir. Oct. 7, 2021)(“The Supreme Courts interpretation of a substantive criminal statute, using established rules of statutory construction, does not announce a new rule of constitutional law․”); In re Salas, 888 F.3d 150, 150-51 (5th Cir. 2018); Reyes-Requena, 243 F.3d at 900.

Accordingly, because Rodriguez fails to make the requisite showing under § 2255(h), IT IS ORDERED that his motion for authorization is DENIED.

Per Curiam: