Ex Parte Davis

The petitioner, Jimmie Davis, filed this petition for a writ of mandamus directing Judge Gloria Bahakel to grant his in forma pauperis request so he can file a Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition without prepayment of the designated filing fee. (The docket fee for filing an action in the circuit court is currently $145. See § 12-19-71(a)(3) and § 12-19-71(b), Ala. Code 1975.) In 1987, Davis was convicted of rape in the first degree and was sentenced as an habitual offender to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This court affirmed his conviction and sentence on direct appeal.1…