Bradley Wheeler v. Russell Ross - Habeas Corpus Denial

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 01:09:27 +0000
Criminal Justice

The US District Court for the District of Idaho denied Bradley Wheeler's habeas corpus petition challenging his battery-on-a-correctional-officer conviction. Wheeler claimed he should have been released 18 months after serving the 5-year fixed portion of his sentence. The court rejected this argument, holding that under Idaho's Unified Sentencing Act, a prisoner must serve the entire sentence (5 years fixed plus 10 years indeterminate) and that parole is not available until after the fixed term is fully served. The ruling clarifies that there is no federal constitutional right to early release before expiration of a valid state sentence.