Western District of Pennsylvania • 3:26-cv-00220

#1

Feb 12, 2026

MOTION for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis by SAMBA KONATE. (Attachments: # 1 Habeas Petition lodged pending disposition of IFP Motion, # 2 Prisoner Authorization Form, # 3 Envelope) (ert) (Entered: 02/12/2026)

Feb 12, 2026

Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan added. (ert)

#2

Feb 13, 2026

ORDER granting 1 Motion for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis. The Court finds that Petitioner does not have the ability to pay the filing fee in this matter. The Clerk of Court shall file the petition lodged at ECF 1 forthwith. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 2/13/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 02/13/2026)

#3

Feb 13, 2026

CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER. Copies of this order and the Petition were emailed by the Court to the USAO. This email service is deemed sufficient to accomplish formal service of the Petition on Respondent. Respondent's counsel shall file a notice of appearance within 3 days of this date. Respondent shall file any responses or answers to the petition within 30 days of the date of service. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 2/2/2026. (pak) (Entered: 02/13/2026)

#7

Feb 13, 2026

Authorization permitting withdrawal of prison account funds to pay filing fee by SAMBA KONATE. (Attachments: # 1 Envelope) (ert) (Entered: 02/23/2026)

Feb 13, 2026

Order on Motion for Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis

#4

Feb 17, 2026

Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (for Clerk of Court personnel only)

#6

Feb 17, 2026

Prisoner Trust Fund Account Statement by SAMBA KONATE. (Attachments: # 1 Envelope) (kss) (Entered: 02/20/2026)

#5

Feb 18, 2026

NOTICE of Appearance by Michael Leo Ivory on behalf of PAMELA BONDI, DAREN MARGOLIN, KRISTI NOEM, LEONARD ODDO, MICHAEL T. ROSE. (Ivory, Michael) (Entered: 02/18/2026)

#8

Mar 16, 2026

RESPONSE to 4 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, filed by PAMELA BONDI, DAREN MARGOLIN, KRISTI NOEM, LEONARD ODDO, MICHAEL T. ROSE. (Ivory, Michael) (Entered: 03/16/2026)

#9

Mar 17, 2026

ORDER. For the reasons stated in Villagrez v. Bondi, et al., No. 26-72, 2026 WL 545380 (W.D. Pa. Feb. 26, 2026) (Ranjan, J.), the Court GRANTS the 1 habeas petition and ISSUES the writ, on these terms. (1) Respondents shall cause Petitioner to be taken to a neutral immigration judge of the Executive Office of Immigration Review for an individualized bond hearing to occur within 30 days of this order, or else release Petitioner by such date. (2) Respondents shall ensure that such a hearing include the required due process, i.e., at a minimum, factfinding based on a record produced before the decisionmaker and disclosed to Petitioner; an opportunity to make arguments on the Petitioner's behalf; and the right to an individualized determination of Petitioner's interests. See Ghanem v. Warden Essex Cnty. Corr. Facility, No. 21-1908, 2022 WL 574624, at *2 (3d Cir. Feb. 25, 2022). (3) Petitioner shall be responsible for securing the necessary transcripts and record of the bond hearing. The Court further finds that Respondents' position was substantially justified in this case, so no fees shall be awarded. The Clerk of Court shall administratively CLOSE this case. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 3/17/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 03/17/2026)

Mar 17, 2026

Order for Administrative Case Closing

#10

May 01, 2026

Enforce AND Miscellaneous Relief (Use ONLY if no other relief applies)

#11

May 04, 2026

Order

#12

May 28, 2026

Leave to File

#13

May 28, 2026

NOTICE of Compliance by SAMBA KONATE (Attachments: # 1 Attachment, # 2 Envelope) (ert) (Entered: 05/28/2026)

#14

Jun 10, 2026

ORDER granting 12 Motion for Leave to File Response Out of Time. The Court has received the audio recording of Petitioner's bond hearing and accepts it as timely filed in accordance with its prior 11 Order. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 6/10/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 06/10/2026)

#15

Jun 10, 2026

ORDER denying 10 Motion to Enforce Habeas Order. After reviewing the audio recording from Petitioner's bond hearing held on April 8, 2026, the Court finds that the hearing was fundamentally fair. The requirements of a fundamentally fair hearing are that Petitioner: "(1) is entitled to factfinding based on a record produced before the decisionmaker and disclosed to him or her; (2) must be allowed to make arguments on his or her own behalf; and (3) has the right to an individualized determination of his [or her] interests." Ghanem v. Warden Essex Cnty. Corr. Facility, No. 21-1908, 2022 WL 574624, at *2 (3d Cir. Feb. 25, 2022) (quoting Kamara v. Att'y Gen. of U.S., 420 F.3d 202, 211 (3d Cir. 2005)). The Court finds that these requirements were met, and can otherwise discern no other flaws in the fairness of the hearing that rise to the level of a constitutional violation. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 6/10/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 06/10/2026)

Jun 10, 2026

Order on Motion for Miscellaneous Relief AND Order on Motion to Enforce

Jun 10, 2026

Order on Motion for Leave to File