A new Bivens Catch-22

After federal officials attempted to strip Michael Cohen of his home confinement and placed him in solitary confinement in retaliation for his public statements, Cohen obtained habeas relief. He then sought Bivens damages against Donald Trump, Bill Barr, and a bunch of officials in the corrections system. The Second Circuit affirmed dismissal of the Bivens action, to no one's surprise (except perhaps Cohen and his attorneys)--this is a new context (because the cause is not called Bivens or Carlson) and there are always special factors counseling hesitation. The court relied on the special factor or availability of alternative remedies--the habeas relief that Cohen sought and received.

But note the double work habeas does here. Because Cohen challenged, in part, the terms of his sentence (imprisonment rather than house arrest), a successful damages claim would have implied the invalidity of that part of the sentence. Such a claim is Heck-barred unless he can show "favorable termination" of the criminal proceedings, such as through habeas relief undoing the sentence. But his success in satisfying that preliminary requirement to pursue damages means he has no Bivens claim at all. On the other hand, had he failed in obtaining habeas relief, he might have been able to pursue the Bivens action, only to find it Heck-barred because he failed to show favorable termination.