United States v. Karl Bernard Bell

Karl Bernard Bell appeals pro se the district court’s denial of his “Motion for Clarification” of whether the court had jurisdiction to impose his mandatory terms of life imprisonment. Because Bell’s motion was actually a successive habeas petition filed without our authorization, the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to rule on it.

I

Bell was convicted in 2001 of two counts of distribution of crack cocaine. Before the trial, the government had filed a notice of intent to seek enhanced penalties under 21 U.S.C. § 851 based on Bell’s prior drug-related felony convictions. The…