Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-16-02131/USCOURTS-ca10-16-02131-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Eric Lamont Johnson
Petitioner

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

_________________________________

In re: ERIC LAMONT JOHNSON, 

 Movant.

No. 16-2131

(D.C. Nos. 1:15-CV-00673-MV-SMV & 

1:03-CR-00477-MV-1)

(D. N.M.)

_________________________________

ORDER

_________________________________

Before KELLY, HARTZ, and MATHESON, Circuit Judges.

_________________________________

Movant Eric Lamont Johnson, a federal prisoner proceeding through counsel, 

seeks an order authorizing him to file a second or successive 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion in 

the district court so he may assert a claim for relief based on Johnson v. United States, 

135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015).1

 See 28 U.S.C. §§ 2255(h), 2244(b)(3). Because Movant has 

made a prima facie showing that he satisfies the relevant conditions for authorization 

under § 2255(h)(2), we grant authorization.

Movant received a sentence enhanced under the guideline for career offenders, 

which is triggered by the defendant having “two prior qualifying felony convictions of 

either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense,” U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1(a). He 

alleges that at least one of his prior convictions qualified for this purpose by virtue of the 

residual clause in the guideline’s definition of a crime of violence, which encompasses 

 1 Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, Todd A. Coberly is appointed as counsel for Eric 

Lamont Johnson effective nunc pro tunc to the date the request for authorization to file a 

second or successive § 2255 motion was filed in this court.

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

June 17, 2016

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

Appellate Case: 16-2131 Document: 01019640312 Date Filed: 06/17/2016 Page: 1 
2

crimes that “involve[] conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to 

another,” id. § 4B1.2(a)(2). An identical clause in the Armed Career Criminal Act was 

invalidated in Johnson on the ground that it was unconstitutionally vague.

To obtain authorization, Movant must make a prima facie showing that his claim 

meets the gatekeeping requirements of § 2255(h). 28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(3)(C); see Case v. 

Hatch, 731 F.3d 1015, 1028–29 (10th Cir. 2013). A claim may be authorized under 

§ 2255(h)(2) if it relies on “a new rule of constitutional law, made retroactive to cases on 

collateral review by the Supreme Court, that was previously unavailable.” Johnson

announced a new rule of constitutional law that was made retroactive to cases on 

collateral review in Welch v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 1257, 1265 (2016). We held in In 

re Encinias, No. 16–8038, 2016 WL 1719323, at *2 (10th Cir. Apr. 29, 2016) (per 

curiam), that second or successive § 2255 motions that rely on Johnson to challenge the 

career offender guideline qualify for authorization under § 2255(h)(2).

Accordingly, we grant Eric Lamont Johnson authorization to file a second or 

successive § 2255 motion in district court to raise a claim based on Johnson v. United 

States.

Entered for the Court

ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER, Clerk

Appellate Case: 16-2131 Document: 01019640312 Date Filed: 06/17/2016 Page: 2