Background
Solomon Thomas, proceeding pro se, filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He alleged that the United States District Court for the District of Maryland had unduly delayed ruling on his emergency motion to compel agency action in his underlying civil case. Thomas sought an order directing the district court to act.
The court’s reasoning
The court reviewed the district court’s docket and determined that the district court had recently taken significant action on Thomas’s motion. Because the district court had acted, the court found no basis to grant the writ of mandamus.
What it means going forward
The denial of the mandamus petition leaves the district court’s timeline for ruling on the emergency motion to compel agency action undisturbed. The petitioner’s request to expedite the appellate review was also denied.