Fourth Circuit Denies Petition for Writ of Mandamus

4th Circuit Daily Opinions

Filed February 17th, 2026

Detected February 18th, 2026

Summary

The Fourth Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Roberto Antoine Darden. The petition alleged undue delay by the district court in acting on a motion to alter or amend a previous order. The appellate court found the district court had recently ruled on the motion, rendering the petition moot.

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What changed

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Roberto Antoine Darden. Darden alleged that the district court had unduly delayed ruling on his motion to alter or amend a prior order. The appellate court reviewed the district court's docket and found that the district court had indeed denied Darden's motion by order entered on January 29, 2026. Consequently, the appellate court deemed Darden's mandamus petition moot and denied it.

This decision means that the petitioner's request for the appellate court to compel the district court to act has been rejected. As the appellate court has ruled, there are no further immediate actions required from the petitioner or the district court regarding this specific mandamus petition. The denial is based on the district court having already acted, making the appellate intervention unnecessary. This is an unpublished opinion and thus not binding precedent.

Source document (simplified)

UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES CO URT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH C IRCUIT No. 25-2264 In re: ROBERTO ANT OINE DARDEN, a/k/a Dizz- e, a/k/a Javon, Petitioner. On Petition for Writ of Mandamus to th e United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Newport News. (4:11- cr -00052-AWA-LRL-1) Submitted: Febru ary 5, 2026 Decided: February 17, 2026 Before NIEMEYER and BERNER, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge. Petition denied by unp ublished per curiam op inion. Roberto Antoine Darde n, Petitioner Pro Se. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

PER CURIAM: Roberto Antoine Dar den petitio ns for a writ of mandamus, alleging that the district court has unduly del ayed acting on his m otion to alt er or amend the district court’s order denying mandamus relief. Darden seeks an order from this court directing the district court to act. Our review of the district court’s docket reveals that the district court denied Darden’s motion to al ter or amend by order entered Ja nuary 29, 2026. Accordingly, because the di strict court has recentl y decided Darden’s m otion, we deny the mandamus petition as moo t. We dispense with or al argument because the fa cts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before th is court and argume nt would not aid the decisional process. PETITION DENIED