Dennis L. Hamilton v. BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS and Neil McDowell, Warden

NOT FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
DENNIS L. HAMILTON,
Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS and
Neil McDowell, Warden,
Respondents-Appellees.
No. 11-16437
D.C. No. 1:10-cv-01972-OWW
MEMORANDUM*
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of California
Oliver W. Wanger, District Judge, Presiding
Submitted March 8, 2017**
Before: LEAVY, W. FLETCHER, and OWENS, Circuit Judges.
Dennis L. Hamilton appeals pro se from the district court’s judgment
denying his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas petition challenging a 2009 decision by the
FILED
MAR 14 2017
MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).

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Board of Parole Hearings denying parole and deferring his next parole hearing in
accordance with California Penal Code § 3041.5 (“Marsy’s Law”). We dismiss.
This court issued a certificate of appealability (“COA”) on whether
application of Marsy’s Law to delay Hamilton’s next parole hearing violates the Ex
Post Facto Clause. We vacate the COA as improvidently granted and dismiss this
appeal for lack of jurisdiction. See Nettles v. Grounds, 830 F.3d 922, 934-35 (9th
Cir. 2016) (en banc) (holding that claims fall outside “the core of habeas corpus” if
success will not necessarily lead to immediate or earlier release from confinement),
cert. denied, 580 U.S. __ (U.S. Jan. 9, 2017) (No. 16-6556); Phelps v. Alameda,
366 F.3d 722, 727-28, 730 (9th Cir. 2004) (merits panel has the power to rule on
the propriety of a COA).
The dismissal of this appeal does not preclude Hamilton from pursuing
conditions of confinement claims in a properly filed civil rights action under 42
U.S.C. § 1983.
All pending motions are denied as moot.
DISMISSED.
11-16437 2

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