Johnson v. State of Utah

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF UTAH
TRAVIS JOHNSON,
Plaintiff,
v.
STATE OF UTAH,
Defendant.
MEMORANDUM DECISION &
DISMISSAL ORDER
Case No. 2:25-CV-429-TS
District Judge Ted Stewart
Plaintiff, Travis Johnson, has filed with the Court a prisoner pro se civil-rights complaint
under 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 (2025). (ECF No. 1.)
The Complaint names as sole defendant, State of Utah. (ECF No. 1.) To summarize,
Plaintiff alleges Defendant violates the Establishment Clause by having "set up a form of
Government and established its principals [sic] in tandem to a sacrilegious image as its great
seal." (Id.) He further asserts that Defendant "foster[s a] church of which the devil is the
founder," while simultaneously proscrib[ing] . . . the church of the Lamb of God." (Id.) As
remedies, he seeks injunctive relief of the setting aside of "the 3 criminal cases he is being held
on," to have his name changed to "Jesus Christ," and "to have the records held by the Church of
Babylon be expunged and sealed." (Id.) The Court has screened Plaintiff's Complaint and now
dismisses it as frivolous. See 28 U.S.C.S. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B) & 1915A (2025).
Section 1915 grants this Court the power to "'pierce the veil of the complaint's factual
allegations.'" Denton v. Hernandez, 504 U.S. 25, 32 (1992) (quoting Neitzke v. Williams, 490
U.S. 319, 327 (1989)). Although Plaintiff's allegations must be viewed in his favor, "a court may
Case 2:25-cv-00429-TS Document 6 Filed 01/15/26 PageID.<pageID> Page 1 of
2

2
dismiss a claim as factually frivolous . . . if the facts alleged are 'clearly baseless,' a category
encompassing allegations that are 'fanciful,' 'fantastic,' and 'delusional.'" Id. at 32-33 (citations
omitted). Accordingly, a determination of factual frivolousness is proper "when the facts alleged
rise to the level of the irrational or the wholly incredible, whether or not there are judicially
noticeable facts available to contradict them." Id. at 33.
Plaintiff's assertions here fit these definitions of factual frivolousness. The fantastic
allegations in Plaintiff's complaint are patently unbelievable and irrational. For instance, in
addition to those allegations found in the second paragraph of this Order, Plaintiff states that he
"demonstrates his divinity as a rightful heir to the throne of David and confesses the divine right
in that heirship to rule and reign," explaining, "to do this he utilizes parables, symbologies, and
uses many celestial signs." (ECF No. 1.) This delusional assertion, together with the other wholly
incredible statements in his Complaint--all presumably used to support Plaintiff's Establishment
Clause claim--renders that claim factually frivolous. See 28 U.S.C.S. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i) (2025).
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff's § 1983 action is DISMISSED because his
claims are frivolous. See 28 U.S.C.S. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B) & 1915A (2025). This case is CLOSED.
DATED this 14th day of January, 2026.
BY THE COURT:
TED STEWART
United States District Judge
Case 2:25-cv-00429-TS Document 6 Filed 01/15/26 PageID.<pageID> Page 2 of
2