4th Cir.

In re EDWARD DANE JEFFUS

March 26, 2026 ·26-1123 ·Per Curiam · By Aisha Johnson

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Edward Dane Jeffus. The court found the petition moot because the district court had already ruled on the underlying motion.

Background

Edward Dane Jeffus filed a petition for a writ of mandamus, alleging that the district court unduly delayed acting on his objections to a magistrate judge’s report. The magistrate judge had recommended construing Jeffus’s Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) motion as an unauthorized successive motion under 28 U.S.C. Section 2255 and dismissing it. Jeffus sought an order directing the district court to rule on his objections.

The court’s reasoning

The court reviewed the district court’s docket and found that the district court accepted the magistrate judge’s recommendation and dismissed Jeffus’s motion by an order entered on March 2, 2026. Because the district court had recently decided Jeffus’s motion, the petition for a writ of mandamus was moot. The court dispensed with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions were adequately presented in the materials before the court.

What it means going forward

The denial of the mandamus petition leaves the district court’s dismissal of the successive motion in place.