Martin v. Opm ( 2023 )


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  • Case: 23-2419    Document: 6      Page: 1   Filed: 12/14/2023
    NOTE: This order is nonprecedential.
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    JANET M. MARTIN,
    Petitioner
    v.
    OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT,
    Respondent
    ______________________
    2023-2419
    ______________________
    Petition for review of the Merit Systems Protection
    Board in No. DE-0831-23-0256-I-1.
    ______________________
    ON MOTION
    ______________________
    Before PROST, HUGHES, and STOLL, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM.
    ORDER
    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) moves to
    dismiss this petition for lack of jurisdiction. Janet M. Mar-
    tin has not responded.
    On September 18, 2023, Ms. Martin filed a timely peti-
    tion with the Merit Systems Protection Board seeking re-
    view of an administrative judge’s initial decision. The
    Case: 23-2419      Document: 6     Page: 2     Filed: 12/14/2023
    2                                                MARTIN v. OPM
    following day, this court received her petition to review the
    same initial decision.
    This court does not yet have authority to decide this
    case. Although this court has jurisdiction to review final
    orders or final decisions of the Board, see 
    28 U.S.C. § 1295
    (a)(9); see also Weed v. Soc. Sec. Admin., 
    571 F.3d 1359
    , 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2009), Ms. Martin’s pending timely
    petition at the Board renders the initial decision non-final
    for purposes of our jurisdiction.                See 
    5 U.S.C. § 7701
    (e)(1)(A) (providing that the initial decision does not
    become final if a party timely petitions the Board for re-
    view); 
    5 C.F.R. § 1201.113
    (a) (“The initial decision will not
    become the Board’s final decision if within the time limit
    for filing . . . any party files a petition for review . . . .”).
    Two potential paths to this court’s review are available.
    First, Ms. Martin may wait to receive a final determination
    from the Board on her petition, at which point she may seek
    this court’s review by filing a timely petition here if neces-
    sary. Alternatively, Ms. Martin may file a motion at the
    Board to withdraw her petition pursuant to the June 2022
    policy specified on the Board’s website. * Under that policy,
    the Clerk of the Board may grant requests to withdraw a
    petition for review when there is no apparent issue of un-
    timeliness with the petition and no other party objects to
    the withdrawal. When the Clerk grants a request to with-
    draw, the order granting the request will be the final order
    of the Board for purposes of obtaining judicial review.
    Accordingly,
    *    Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., Policy Regarding Clerk’s Au-
    thority to Grant Requests to Withdraw Petitions for Re-
    view                                                (2022),
    https://www.mspb.gov/appeals/files/Policy_Regard-
    ing_Withdrawal_of_a_Petition_for_Review_1515773.pdf
    (last visited October 26, 2023).
    Case: 23-2419    Document: 6     Page: 3      Filed: 12/14/2023
    MARTIN v. OPM                                               3
    IT IS ORDERED THAT:
    (1) The motion to dismiss is granted. The petition for
    review is dismissed.
    (2) Each side shall bear its own costs.
    FOR THE COURT
    December 14, 2023
    Date
    ISSUED AS A MANDATE: December 14, 2023
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 23-2419

Filed Date: 12/14/2023

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 12/14/2023