Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-24-06143/USCOURTS-ca10-24-06143-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 

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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT 

_________________________________ 

TONY J. WILSON, 

 Petitioner - Appellant, 

v. 

CARRIE BRIDGES, Warden, 

 Respondent - Appellee. 

No. 24-6143 

(D.C. No. 5:23-CV-00531-D) 

(W.D. Okla.) 

_________________________________ 

ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY*

_________________________________ 

Before BACHARACH, McHUGH, and FEDERICO, Circuit Judges. 

_________________________________ 

Tony J. Wilson, a prisoner proceeding pro se,1 seeks a certificate of 

appealability (COA) to challenge the district court’s dismissal of his 28 U.S.C. 

§ 2254 habeas corpus petition. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, 

we deny a COA and dismiss this matter. 

* This order is not binding precedent except under the doctrines of law of 

the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its 

persuasive value consistent with Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1 and 

Tenth Circuit Rule 32.1. 

1 Although we construe Wilson’s pro se filings liberally, we do not act as 

his advocate. See Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991). 

FILED 

United States Court of Appeals 

Tenth Circuit 

December 13, 2024

Christopher M. Wolpert 

Clerk of Court

Appellate Case: 24-6143 Document: 12-1 Date Filed: 12/13/2024 Page: 1
2 

I 

 In 2019, a jury convicted Wilson of second-degree murder and unlawful 

possession of a firearm by a felon, and thereafter he was sentenced to 40 years’ 

imprisonment. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (OCCA) affirmed his 

convictions on December 9, 2021. 

On November 7, 2022, Wilson filed an application for post-conviction 

relief in state court. The government moved to strike Wilson’s application 

because it exceeded a local rule’s page limit and Wilson failed to receive 

permission before exceeding that page limit. The district court granted the 

government’s motion, striking Wilson’s application on February 9, 2023. The 

OCCA affirmed the district court’s ruling on May 5, 2023. 

On July 7, 2023, Wilson filed a § 2254 habeas corpus petition in the 

United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Pursuant 

to 28 U.S.C. § 636, Wilson’s case was referred to a magistrate judge, who then 

issued a recommendation that his petition be dismissed as untimely filed. The 

magistrate judge explained that under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death 

Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), a federal habeas corpus petition must be brought 

within one year of the date on which a state conviction becomes final. See 28 

U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A). For Wilson, the AEDPA filing deadline was March 10, 

2023, which made his petition untimely. 

Appellate Case: 24-6143 Document: 12-1 Date Filed: 12/13/2024 Page: 2
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The magistrate judge next considered whether statutory or equitable 

tolling or the actual innocence exception could apply to save Wilson’s petition 

and concluded they could not. Under § 2244(d)(2), the filing of a state postconviction application will toll the AEDPA one-year deadline. However, the 

magistrate judge, applying Oklahoma state law, determined that Wilson’s 

state court application was not “properly filed,” as the statute commands 

because it was stricken from the record for failure to comply with the state 

district court’s rules. 

Wilson filed an objection to the magistrate judge’s report and 

recommendation, but the district court adopted the magistrate judge’s 

recommendation and concluded the petition was barred as untimely. The 

district court noted that Wilson’s objection “merely reassert[ed] the merits” of 

his petition, instead of addressing its untimeliness. R. at 158. Accordingly, the 

district court dismissed his petition and denied a COA. 

Wilson timely appeals to this court. We ordered him to explain why he 

has not waived his right to appellate review by failing to file timely and specific 

objections to the magistrate judge’s report and recommendation. Wilson filed 

a response setting forth his arguments, making this matter ready for decision. 

II 

“Under this court’s firm waiver rule, the failure to timely object to a 

magistrate judge’s finding and recommendations ‘waives appellate review of 

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both factual and legal questions.’” Klein v. Harper, 777 F.3d 1144, 1147 (10th 

Cir. 2015) (quoting Casanova v. Ulibarri, 595 F.3d 1120, 1123 (10th Cir. 2010)). 

“‘[O]nly an objection that is sufficiently specific to focus the district court’s 

attention on the factual and legal issues that are truly in dispute’ is sufficient.” 

United States v. BNM, 107 F.4th 1152 (10th Cir. 2024) (quoting United States 

v. 2121 E. 30th St., 73 F.3d 1057, 1060 (10th Cir. 1996)). 

The firm waiver rule is overridden when (1) “a pro se litigant has not 

been informed of the time period for objecting and the consequences of failing 

to object,” or (2) “the interests of justice require review.” Duffield v. Jackson, 

545 F.3d 1234, 1237 (10th Cir. 2008) (emphasis and quotations omitted). 

Factors relevant to the second exception include “a pro se litigant’s effort to 

comply [with the requirement], the force and plausibility of the explanation for 

his failure to comply, and the importance of the issues raised.” MoralesFernandez v. INS, 418 F.3d 1116, 1120 (10th Cir. 2005) (emphasis omitted). 

When considering the importance of the issues raised, we have said that, “[i]n 

many respects, the interests of justice analysis we have developed, which 

expressly includes review of a litigant’s unobjected-to substantive claims on 

the merits, is similar to reviewing for plain error.” Id. To show plain error, 

Wilson would have to show “(1) error, (2) that is plain, which (3) affects 

substantial rights, and which (4) seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or 

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public reputation of judicial proceedings.” Id. at 1122–23 (quoting United 

States v. Gonzalez-Huerta, 403 F.3d 727, 732 (10th Cir. 2005)). 

III 

Wilson must obtain a COA to appeal the district court’s dismissal. See

28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(A). We may issue a COA “only if the applicant has made 

a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” § 2253(c)(2). 

Because the district court dismissed his petition on procedural grounds, Wilson 

must show both “that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the 

petition states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right and that 

jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct 

in its procedural ruling.” Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). 

IV

 Wilson has waived any right to appeal under the firm waiver rule. 

Although he filed an objection to the magistrate judge’s report and 

recommendation, his objection did not meaningfully address whether his 

petition is time-barred under § 2244(d)(1). The district court correctly noted 

that Wilson used the objection mostly as a vehicle to elaborate on the merits of 

his petition. 

Moreover, neither exception to the firm waiver rule applies. First, the 

magistrate judge informed Wilson of the time period for objecting and the 

consequences for failing to object. And second, in response to our order on 

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appeal, Wilson again only reiterates the merits of his petition and fails to 

substantively challenge the firm waiver rule’s application to his case. There 

was no error and the interests of justice do not dictate that we grant a COA 

when Wilson elected to not address the lack of timeliness of his petition. As 

such, the firm waiver rule bars our review of the claims and precludes the grant 

of a COA.2 See Fierro v. Smith, 741 F. App’x 558, 561 (10th Cir. 2018) 

(unpublished). 

V 

Accordingly, we DENY a COA and DISMISS this matter. 

Entered for the Court 

Richard E.N. Federico 

Circuit Judge 

2 Even if the firm waiver rule did not apply, we would likewise be 

compelled to deny a COA for the same reason the magistrate judge 

recommended dismissal to the district judge, that the petition is barred as 

untimely filed. 

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