Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals - Published Opinions

Monday, February 01, 2016

Patterson: Habeas Petition Not Second or Successive

In Patterson v. Sec., Fla. Dep’t of Corrections, No. 12-12653 (Jan. 29, 2016) (2-1), the Court held that a habeas petition was not subject to the restrictions on “second and successive” petitions because the state court had amended the judgment to eliminate a requirement of chemical castration, and the petition was the first habeas petition from this amended judgment. The Court analogized Patterson’s case to Magwood v. Patterson, 561 U.S. 320 (2010) and Insignares v. Secretary, 755 F.3d 1273 (11th Cir. 2014), cases in which an amended judgment meant that the subsequent habeas petition, challenging the amended judgment, was not second or successive.