Thomas v. Jeter , 200 F. App'x 374 ( 2006 )


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  •                                                          United States Court of Appeals
    Fifth Circuit
    F I L E D
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT               September 22, 2006
    Charles R. Fulbruge III
    Clerk
    No. 05-10441
    Summary Calendar
    RONNIE THOMAS,
    Petitioner-Appellant,
    versus
    COLE JETER, Warden,
    Federal Medical Center Fort Worth,
    Respondent-Appellee.
    --------------------
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Northern District of Texas
    USDC No. 4:04-CV-801
    --------------------
    Before KING, HIGGINBOTHAM, and GARZA, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM:*
    Ronnie Thomas, federal prisoner # 09024-031, appeals the
    district court’s decision to dismiss his 
    28 U.S.C. § 2241
    petition for a writ of habeas corpus for lack of jurisdiction.
    Thomas argued in his § 2241 petition that the sentences imposed
    following his guilty-plea convictions of possessing with the
    intent to distribute marijuana and misprision of a felony were
    invalid.   Thomas’s numerous claims were based on Apprendi v. New
    *
    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    this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except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.
    No. 05-10441
    -2-
    Jersey, 
    530 U.S. 466
     (2000), Blakely v. Washington, 
    542 U.S. 296
    (2004), and United States v. Booker, 
    543 U.S. 220
     (2005).
    Thomas’s § 2241 petition alleged errors that occurred at
    sentencing.    Such errors may not be asserted in a § 2241
    petition.   See Padilla v. United States, 
    416 F.3d 424
    , 426-27
    (5th Cir. 2005).    Thomas has not shown that his claims satisfy
    the mandates of the savings clause of 
    28 U.S.C. § 2255
    .      See
    Padilla, 
    416 F.3d at 426-27
    ; Reyes-Requena v. United States,
    
    243 F.3d 893
    , 904 (5th Cir. 2001).    Thomas’s contention that the
    district court’s application of the savings clause violates the
    Suspension Clause of the United States Constitution is
    foreclosed.    See Wesson v. United States Penitentiary Beaumont,
    Tex., 
    305 F.3d 343
    , 346 (5th Cir. 2002); Reyes-Requena, 
    243 F.3d at
    901 n.19.    Thomas’s argument that the AEDPA’s restrictions on
    successive § 2255 motions violate the Suspension Clause lacks
    merit.   Cf. Felker v. Turpin, 
    518 U.S. 651
    , 664 (1996) (holding
    that successive-petition restrictions in 
    28 U.S.C. § 2244
    (b) do
    not violate the Suspension Clause).
    Thomas’s argument that the district court should have
    considered his claims under its inherent powers because they do
    not constitute a collateral attack on his sentence is
    inadequately briefed and lacks merit.      See United States v.
    Reyes, 
    300 F.3d 555
    , 558 n.2 (5th Cir. 2002).     Thomas’s
    suggestion that the errors in his case were structural and should
    override all statutory restrictions has been rejected by this
    No. 05-10441
    -3-
    court.   See United States v. Malveaux, 
    411 F.3d 558
    , 560 n.9
    (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 
    126 S. Ct. 194
     (2005).
    The district court did not err in dismissing Thomas’s § 2241
    petition for lack of jurisdiction.   See Christopher v. Miles,
    
    342 F.3d 378
    , 385 (5th Cir. 2003).   As the district court lacked
    jurisdiction to consider Thomas’s substantive claims, we need not
    consider them on appeal.
    The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.