Case Information
*1 USDC IN/ND case 3:25-cv-00621-GSL-APR document 11 filed 11/17/25 page 1 of 2
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA SOUTH BEND DIVISION ANTHONY BELLANTI,
Petitioner,
v. CAUSE NO. 3:25-CV-621-GSL-APR WARDEN,
Respondent.
OPINION AND ORDER
Anthony Bellanti, a prisoner without a lawyer, filed a habeas petition challenging a disciplinary decision (ISP-24-4-936) at the Indiana State Prison in which a disciplinary hearing officer (DHO) found him guilty of interfering with staff in violation of Indiana Department of Correction Offense 252. According to the petition, he was sanctioned with a loss of earned credit time and a demotion in credit class.
In the pending motion to dismiss, the Warden argues that this case is moot because he was not sanctioned with a demotion in credit class and because the earned credit time sanction was suspended and can no longer be imposed. ECF 8. The Warden supports this argument with a hearing report and sentence calculation printouts. ECF 8- 4, ECF 8-9. Consequently, the court finds that the claims raised in the petition are moot. See Hadley v. Holmes , 341 F.3d 661, 664 (7th Cir. 2003) (prisoner can challenge prison disciplinary determination in habeas proceeding only when it resulted in a sanction that lengthened the duration of his confinement). Though Bellanti responds that he continues to seek the expungement of this disciplinary finding from departmental *2 USDC IN/ND case 3:25-cv-00621-GSL-APR document 11 filed 11/17/25 page 2 of 2
records, the court cannot grant any relief in a habeas case on grounds that do not relate to the fact or duration of confinement. Nor is his inability to participate in educational programs a sufficient basis to obtain habeas relief. See Zimmerman v. Tribble , 226 F.3d 568, 571 (7th Cir. 2000) (“The denial of access to educational programs does not infringe on a protected liberty interest.”). Therefore, the court grants the motion and dismisses the habeas petition.
If Bellanti wants to appeal this decision, he does not need a certificate of appealability because he is challenging a prison disciplinary proceeding. See Evans v. Circuit Court , 569 F.3d 665, 666 (7th Cir. 2009). However, he may not proceed in forma pauperis on appeal because the court finds that an appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal in this case could not be taken in good faith.
For these reasons, the court:
(1) GRANTS the motion to dismiss (ECF 8);
(2) DIRECTS the clerk to enter judgment and to close this case; and (3) DENIES Anthony Bellanti leave to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal. SO ORDERED on November 17, 2025
/s/Gretchen S. Lund JUDGE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 2