Braxton v. District of Columbia ( 2023 )

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ANTHONY BRAXTON, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) Civil Action No. 23-01004 (UNA)
)
)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, )
)
Defendant. )
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter, filed pro se, is before the Court on its initial review of Plaintiff’s Complaint,
ECF No. 1, and application for leave to proceed in forma pauperis, ECF No. 2. The Court will
grant the application and dismiss the complaint for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.
“Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. They possess only that power authorized
by Constitution and statute,” and it is “presumed that a cause lies outside this limited jurisdiction.”
Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375, 377 (1994) (citations omitted). A party
seeking relief in the district court must at least plead facts that bring the suit within the court’s
jurisdiction. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). Failure to plead such facts warrants dismissal of the action.
Plaintiff’s Complaint is based “on the actions and misconduct of the Superior Court of the
District of Columbia” during multiple court proceedings. Compl. at 1; see id. at 2-4. This federal
district court lacks jurisdiction to review another court’s decisions and order it to take any action.
See Gray v. Poole, 275 F.3d 1113, 1119 (D.C. Cir. 2002) (“The Rooker-Feldman doctrine prevents
lower federal courts from hearing cases that amount to the functional equivalent of an appeal from
a state court.”) (citing Dist. of Columbia Court of Appeals v. Feldman, 460 U.S. 462 (1983);
Rooker v. Fid. Trust Co., 263 U.S. 413 (1923)); United States v. Choi, 818 F. Supp. 2d 79, 85
(D.D.C. 2011) (district courts “generally lack[] appellate jurisdiction over other judicial bodies,
and cannot exercise appellate mandamus over other courts.”) (citing Lewis v. Green, 629 F. Supp.
546, 553 (D.D.C. 1986)). Plaintiff’s recourse lies, if at all, in the D.C. Court of Appeals and the
U.S. Supreme Court. See 28 U.S.C. § 1257 (“Final judgments or decrees rendered by the highest
court of a State in which a decision could be had, may be reviewed by the Supreme Court by writ
of certiorari[.]”). Therefore, this case will be dismissed by separate order.
2023.06.12
10:59:49 -04'00'
_____________________
TREVOR N. McFADDEN
Date: June 12, 2023 United States District Judge
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