William Brooks petitioned the court for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241, seeking immediate release based on his medical conditions (hypertension, tachycardia, weakened immune system) and the resulting high risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court converted Brook’s petition to one brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 and ultimately denied it for failure to exhaust remedies at the state court. Brook’s case did not fall under any of the exceptions to exhaustion; although Brooks claimed that state courts have closed their doors, the court found that this claim is factually wrong and that Brooks failed to demonstrate that pursuing his request in state court would have been futile. Additionally, Brooks sought to amend the petition to include new parties as defendants (two prison officers for violating his First Amendment rights), but the court dismissed this petition as well, reasoning that this new claim falls under Section 1983, and therefore Brook should bring a separate suit rather than amending his habeas petition.
Brooks v. Wolcott, No. 20-CV-0516, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102339 (W.D.N.Y. June 11, 2020)
DETAILS
Decision
Date
06/11/2020
Practice Area
Criminal (State Charges)
Relief Requested
Release
Type of Court
Federal District Court
Location
New York
Type of Case
Individual
Case Characteristics
Post-Conviction Detention [jail or prison], Pre-Existing Health Conditions
Release Granted
No
Compassionate Release Case
No
Case Tracking Number
1:20-cv-00516-JLS
MORE CASE INFORMATION
Court Name
W.D.N.Y.
Decision
Motion Denied
Place of Incarceration
State Prison
Name of Facility
Orleans Correctional Facility
Legal Authority
Section 1983, § 2254 Exhaustion
Convictions
Second-degree murder; attempted robbery in the first degree
Crowdsourced legal documents from around the country related to COVID-19 and incarceration, organized, collected, and summarized for public defenders, litigators, and other advocates. Created and managed by Bronx Defenders, Columbia Law School’s Center for Institutional and Social Change, UCLA Law COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project, and Zealous. Mostly federal court opinions, but now expanding to states and legal filings, declarations, and exhibits.
This resource is designed to help lawyers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and others interested in challenging, remedying, or drawing attention to the grave risk that Covid-19 poses to individuals who are detained.