Cabral-Varela v. Rodrigues

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS ) FERNANDO CABRAL-VARELA, ) ) Petitioner, ) ) v. ) Civil No. 20-11073-LTS ) MICHAEL RODRIGUES, ) ) Respondent. ) ) MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON HABEAS PETITION (DOC. NO. 1) December 2, 2020 SOROKIN, J. Fernando Cabral-Varela, an inmate at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Concord, Massachusetts, has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. He asserts a single federal claim: a challenge to the partial closure of the courtroom during a portion of his trial in state court. Doc. No. 1 at 5; Doc. No. 2…