A. Barnett v. State of Louisiana , 624 F. App'x 218 ( 2015 )


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  •      Case: 15-30287      Document: 00513302949         Page: 1    Date Filed: 12/10/2015
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    United States Court of Appeals
    No. 15-30287
    Fifth Circuit
    FILED
    Summary Calendar                        December 10, 2015
    Lyle W. Cayce
    A.V. BARNETT,                                                                     Clerk
    Plaintiff-Appellant
    v.
    STATE OF LOUISIANA,
    Defendant-Appellee
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Western District of Louisiana
    USDC No. 3:14-CV-3238
    Before JOLLY, DENNIS, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM: *
    A.V. Barnett, Louisiana state prisoner # 125936, appeals the district
    court’s dismissal of his 28 U.S.C. § 1361 petition for a writ of mandamus, in
    which he sought to have the district court order state courts to produce records
    and order his immediate release. He now renews his argument that no valid
    indictment ever issued in his case and that his conviction is therefore invalid.
    He also appears to raise, for the first time on appeal, a claim of prosecutorial
    * Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not
    be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH
    CIR. R. 47.5.4.
    Case: 15-30287    Document: 00513302949     Page: 2   Date Filed: 12/10/2015
    No. 15-30287
    misconduct, but this newly raised claim will not be considered. See Shanks v.
    AlliedSignal, Inc., 
    169 F.3d 988
    , 993 n.6 (5th Cir. 1999); Burch v. Coca-Cola
    Co., 
    119 F.3d 305
    , 319 (5th Cir. 1997).
    Even affording his brief liberal construction, Barnett makes no
    argument that his mandamus petition was improperly dismissed.              More
    specifically, he does not dispute the district court’s correct determination that
    it lacked jurisdiction under § 1361 to compel state officials to perform their
    official duties, see Moye v. Clerk, DeKalb County Superior Court, 
    474 F.2d 1275
    ,
    1275-76 (5th Cir. 1973), or that, to the extent he sought release from custody,
    he must pursue relief in the form of a 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas corpus petition.
    By failing to brief such argument, Barnett has abandoned the sole ground for
    appeal. See Yohey v. Collins, 
    985 F.2d 222
    , 224-25 (5th Cir. 1993); Brinkmann
    v. Dallas County Deputy Sheriff Abner, 
    813 F.2d 744
    , 748 (5th Cir. 1987).
    Accordingly, the district court’s judgment is AFFIRMED.
    2