Ramiro Orozco v. John Houston ( 2023 )


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  •                            NOT FOR PUBLICATION                           FILED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                        FEB 24 2023
    MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    RAMIRO PLASCENCIA OROZCO,                       No. 22-55369
    Plaintiff-Appellant,            D.C. No. 3:21-cv-02112-CAB-RBB
    v.
    MEMORANDUM*
    JOHN A. HOUSTON, Judge; ALANA
    WONG ROBINSON, Judge; LAURA E.
    DUFFY, US Attorney Chief; MARIETTE
    IRENE GECKOS, US Attorney Assistant,
    Defendants-Appellees.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Southern District of California
    Cathy Ann Bencivengo, District Judge, Presiding
    Submitted February 14, 2023**
    Before:      FERNANDEZ, FRIEDLAND, and H.A. THOMAS, Circuit Judges.
    Federal prisoner Ramiro Plascencia Orozco appeals pro se from the district
    court’s judgment dismissing his action under Bivens v. Six Unknown Named
    Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 
    403 U.S. 388
     (1971), alleging various
    *
    This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
    except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
    **
    The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
    without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
    constitutional claims. We have jurisdiction under 
    28 U.S.C. § 1291
    . We review de
    novo the district court’s dismissal under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. Resnick v. Hayes,
    
    213 F.3d 443
    , 447 (9th Cir. 2000). We affirm.
    The district court properly dismissed Plascencia Orozco’s action because the
    defendants are entitled to absolute immunity. See Imbler v. Pachtman, 
    424 U.S. 409
    , 430 (1976) (holding that prosecutors are entitled to absolute immunity for
    activities “intimately associated with the judicial phase of the criminal process”);
    Mullis v. U.S. Bankr. Ct. for Dist. of Nev., 
    828 F.2d 1385
    , 1394 (9th Cir. 1987)
    (holding that federal judicial immunity extends to declaratory and injunctive
    relief); Ashelman v. Pope, 
    793 F.2d 1072
    , 1075 (9th Cir. 1986) (en banc) (“Judges
    and those performing judge-like functions are absolutely immune from damage
    liability for acts performed in their official capacities.”); Flood v. Harrington, 
    532 F.2d 1248
    , 1251 (9th Cir. 1976) (applying absolute immunity to federal
    government attorneys).
    To the extent that Plascencia Orozco intended to name his federal public
    defender as a defendant, dismissal was proper because Plascencia Orozco failed to
    allege facts sufficient to show that such defendant was acting under color of federal
    law. See Cox v. Hellerstein, 
    685 F.2d 1098
    , 1099 (9th Cir. 1982) (explaining that a
    federal public defender representing an indigent defendant does not act under color
    of federal law for purposes of a Bivens action).
    2                                    22-55369
    All pending motions are denied.
    AFFIRMED.
    3   22-55369