Watts 576440 v. Skipper

• Court: District Court, W.D. Michigan
• Decided: September 21, 2021
• Docket: 1:20-cv-01215
• Status: Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION

ROBERT BRYANT WATTS,

Petitioner, Case No. 1:20-cv-1215 v. HON. JANET T. NEFF GREGORY SKIPPER,

Respondent. ____________________________/

ORDER

This is a habeas corpus petition filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. The matter was referred to the Magistrate Judge, who issued a Report and Recommendation on August 26, 2021 (ECF No. 15), recommending that this Court deny the petition and a certificate of appealability, and recommending that the Court not certify that an appeal would not be taken in good faith. The Report and Recommendation was duly served on the parties. No objections have been filed, see 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1), and the Court issues this Order. The Court will also issue a Judgment in this § 2254 proceeding. See Gillis v. United States, 729 F.3d 641, 643 (6th Cir. 2013) (requiring a separate judgment in habeas proceedings). Accordingly: IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate Judge (ECF No. 15) is APPROVED and ADOPTED as the Opinion of the Court and the petition for habeas corpus relief (ECF No. 1) is DENIED for the reasons stated in the Report and Recommendation. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a certificate of appealability pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c) is DENIED as to each issue asserted. See RULES GOVERNING § 2254 CASES, Rule 11 (requiring the district court to “issue or deny a certificate of appealability when it enters a final order”). Petitioner has not demonstrated that reasonable jurists would find the Court’s rulings debatable or wrong. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473 (2000); Murphy v. Ohio, 263 F.3d 466, 466- 67 (6th Cir. 2001). IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Court does not certify that an appeal would not be

taken in good faith.

Dated: September 21, 2021 /s/ Janet T. Neff JANET T. NEFF United States District Judge