No. 19-8207October Term 2019Decided Apr 27, 2020Updated Sep 5, 2026
In re Brown
The Supreme Court declined Brown's request for extraordinary relief and left the lower-court dismissal in place.
Case status
Decided · April 27, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
The case concerned a petition asking the Supreme Court to require the federal district court and court of appeals in Washington, D.C., to consider Brown’s habeas corpus case. The Court denied the requested extraordinary relief, leaving the lower courts’ dismissal for lack of jurisdiction in place.
Question presented
1. Whether the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit erred in dismissing Petitioner’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus for lack of jurisdiction? 2. Whether the Petitioner is entitled to a writ of mandamus to compel the lower courts to exercise jurisdiction over his habeas corpus petition?
- Case path
Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Criminal Procedure
Decision
What the Court decided
The Supreme Court declined Brown's request for extraordinary relief and left the lower-court dismissal in place.
Impact
For Brown, the lower courts' refusal to hear his habeas case remains in effect. The action did not resolve the broader legal questions about when those courts have authority to hear such cases.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
David Dwayne Brown asked the Supreme Court to order lower federal courts in Washington, D.C., to consider his habeas corpus case, a legal challenge to detention. The Court denied the requested extraordinary relief, leaving the lower courts' dismissal for lack of jurisdiction in place without deciding the merits.
Impact
For Brown, the lower courts' refusal to hear his habeas case remains in effect. The action did not resolve the broader legal questions about when those courts have authority to hear such cases.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished this docket action. Brown's lower-court dismissal for lack of jurisdiction remains in effect.
What did the Supreme Court do in In re Brown?
The Court denied Brown's request for extraordinary relief. It did not decide the merits of his habeas corpus claim.
Who is affected by the In re Brown decision?
Brown is directly affected because the lower courts' dismissal remains in place. The action did not establish a broader merits decision for other cases.
What happens next in In re Brown?
The Supreme Court's docket action is finished. The lower courts' dismissal for lack of jurisdiction remains in effect.
Timing
Decided April 27, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 27, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Activity
Docket activity2
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Sep 5, 2026 | Generated
Brief added: Petition
Mar 27, 2020 | Court records
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Sep 5, 2026
- Method
- Methodology