* This order is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of

the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. 

## F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit 

### December 20, 2005

Clerk of Court UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

TENTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee, No. 05-3082

v. District of Kansas ANTWAUN NELSON FULTON,

Defendant-Appellant. (D.C. Nos. 04-CV-3347-RDR and 02-CR-40159-RDR)

ORDER *

Before HARTZ , SEYMOUR , and McCONNELL , Circuit Judges.
Antwaun Nelson Fulton, a federal prisoner proceedin g pro se , seeks a certificate of appealability (COA) that would allow him to appeal from the district court’s order denying his habeas corpus petition un der 28 U.S.C. § 2255. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B). Because we conclude that M r. Fulton has failed to make “a substantial showing of the denial of a constitut ional right,” we deny his request for a COA, and we dismiss the appeal. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2).-2- I. Background Mr. Fulton pleaded guilty to one count of possessio n of a firearm by a felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). In his plea ag reement, Mr. Fulton waived the right to challenge his sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2 255. On October 3, 2003, the district court applied a two-level enhancement for obstruction of justice and sentenced him to 63 months imprisonment. Mr. Fulto n did not file a direct appeal. Mr. Fulton filed a motion to vacate his sentence on October 6, 2004, claiming that the sentencing proceeding violated hi s constitutional rights. The district court denied the motion on February 3, 200 5, finding that Mr. Fulton had waived his right to habeas corpus relief under 18 U .S.C. § 2255 and that the relief he requested did not apply retroactively. On Febru ary 17, 2005, Mr. Fulton filed an “Objection to the Court’s Order and/or Notice of Appeal,” which the court construed as a Rule 59(e) motion and denied. Afterthe district court denied Mr. Fulton’s Rule 59(e) motion, we construed his notice of appeal and brief as an application for a COA. II. Claims on Appeal The denial of a motion for relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 may be appealed only if the district court or this Court first issu es a COA. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B). A COA will issue “only if the appli cant has made a substantial-3-

showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). In order to make such a showing, a petitioner must demonstrate that “reasonable jurists could debate whether . . . the petition should have been resolved in a different manner or that the issues presented were adequate t o deserve encouragement to proceed further.” Slack v. McDaniel , 529 U.S. 473, 475 (2000) (internal quotation marks omitted). In his request for a COA, Mr. Fulton makes two chal lenges. First, he claims that he did not “knowingly and voluntarily” waive his right to seek collateral relief in his plea agreement. Second, h e claims that the sentence imposed by the district court violated his constitutional rights by lengthening his term of imprisonment beyond the statutory maximum b ased on facts about obstruction of justice determined by a judge, rathe r than by a jury. Because Mr. Fulton’s constitutional challenge lacks merit, we n eed not decide whether he knowingly and intelligently waived his right to col lateral review. Mr. Fulton claims that the Supreme Court’s decision s in Blakely v. Washington , 542 U.S. 296 (2004), and United States v. Booker , 543 U.S. 220 (2005), apply retroactively to invalidate his sente nce. However, this Court has held that “Booker does not apply retroactively to initial habeas peti tions.” United States v. Bellamy , 411 F.3d 1182, 1186 (10th Cir. 2005) (denying a C OA to a federal prisoner, sentenced in 2003, who raised a Bookerchallenge). Thus, Mr.-4-

Fulton cannot challenge his sentence under Booker , as he was sentenced in October 2003 and raised this claim for the first ti me on collateral review.

III. Conclusion Accordingly, we DENY Antwaun Nelson Fulton’s request for a COA and DISMISS this appeal. Entered for the Court, Michael W. McConnell Circuit Judge