4th Cir.

In re Oscar Contreras-Aguilar

June 5, 2026 ·25-1767 ·Per Curiam · By James Taylor

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking to compel action on pending motions. The court found the petition moot because the district court had already resolved the underlying compassionate release and habeas corpus motions.

Background

Oscar Contreras-Aguilar, proceeding pro se, petitioned for a writ of mandamus alleging undue delay by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She sought an order directing the district court to act on her motions for compassionate release and her motion under Section twenty-eight United States Code, Section two thousand two hundred fifty-five to vacate her sentence.

The court’s reasoning

The court reviewed the district court docket and found that the district court had denied the petitioner’s motions for compassionate release. The district court also granted her motion to withdraw her Section two thousand two hundred fifty-five motion and dismissed that motion with prejudice. Because the district court had recently decided the Section two thousand two hundred fifty-five and compassionate release motions, the petition for mandamus was moot.

What it means going forward

The denial of the mandamus petition leaves the district court’s prior rulings denying compassionate release and dismissing the habeas motion with prejudice in place.