UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

________________ _________________ ANTHONY H. LETT, Petitioner - Appellant,

v. MR. LOVETT, Warden, Respondent - Appellee. No. 22-1124 (D.C. No. 1:21- CV-03212-RMR) (D. Colo.)

________________ _________________ ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

________________ _________________ Before PHILLIPS , McHUGH , and ROSSMAN , Circuit Judges.

________________ _________________ Anthony Lett, a federal in mate proceeding pro se, 1 appeals the district court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2241 habeas petition challengi ng his prison disciplinary conviction for possessing a dangerous w eapon in federal pr ison. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affi rm. We also dismiss Mr. Lett’s appeal of

* After examining the briefs and appella te record, this pa nel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not ma terially assist in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctr ines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cite d, however, for its persuasi ve value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.

1 We construe Mr. Lett’s pro se filings liberally. See Childers v. Crow , 1 F.4th 792, 798 (10th Cir. 2021), cert. denied , 142 S. Ct. 2718 (2022). FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit 

### February 24, 2023 Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 12 the district court’s denial of his motion for reconsidera tion for lack of appellate jurisdiction. I. Background A prison guard saw Mr. Lett hand a “d ark brown” “shaft shaped item” to another prisoner, Stanley Walker. R. at 69. The guard saw Mr . Walker “place[] the object into his right sock.” Id. The guard searched Mr. Walker and found an improvised knife. “The wea pon was metal[,] approximate ly 7.5 inches long[,] and sharpened to a point with a dark brown bed sheet ripped into strips to wrap one end so it could be used as a handle. A piece of cardboard was used to sheath the sharpened end.” Id. Prison officials later served Mr. Lett with an incident report charging him with possessing a dangerous weapon and aiding in destroying or disposing of the weapon. They also notified him of his rights in the pending disciplinar y proceeding, which included access to a staff repr esentative to help him with his case and the right to present evidence. Mr. Lett requested a staff represen tative, and prison officials granted this request. At the disciplinary hearing, Mr. Lett said he “had no knowledge of the weapon.” R. at 13. He called no witnesse s and did not submit documentary or video evidence in support of his defense. His st aff representative told the hearing officer Mr. Lett “did not know what a staff rep was for and he requested no video to be viewed.” Id. The hearing officer considered thes e statements, the guard’s statement, a photograph of the shank, and Mr. Lett’s failure to make a statement of defense Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 23 earlier in the investigation. The hearing o fficer concluded “the greater weight of the evidence” supported the possess ion charge. R. at 15. He sanctioned Mr. Lett by imposing 50 disciplinary segregation days and revoking 41 days of good conduct time credit and six months of commissary privileges. After unsuccessfully appealing hi s disciplinary conviction through administrative channels, Mr. Le tt filed a pro se § 2241 hab eas petition in the district court. The district court construed his § 2241 petition as “specifi cally challeng[ing] only the sufficiency of the evidence” suppor ting the disciplinary conviction. R. at 88. The district court evaluated the sufficiency claim acco rding to the “some evidence” standard—i.e., “whether there is any evidence in the record that could support the conclusion reached by the disciplinary board,” Superintendent, Mass. Corr. Inst. v. Hill , 472 U.S. 445, 455–56 (1985)—and determined the evidence considered by the hearing o fficer was sufficient to supp ort Mr. Lett’s disciplinary conviction. To the extent Mr. Lett wa s arguing that other evidence the hearing officer failed to consider, such as Mr. Walker’s test imony or video surveillance footage, might have produced a different out come, the district c ourt rejected that argument because the record di d not show Mr. Lett had as ked the hearing officer to review anything beyond what had been cons idered. The district court also found unavailing any due process cl aim based on an argument that Mr. Lett had been prevented from presenting video evidence of th e incident. According to the district court, Mr. Lett did “not alle ge that he asked the [heari ng officer] to view the video evidence and he fail[ed] to explain why he did not tell the [hearing officer] that his Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 34 staff representative had failed to obtain video evidence he ha d requested.” R. at 91. On April 1, 2022, the district court de nied the § 2241 petiti on on the merits and entered a final judgment that same day. On April 15, 2022, Mr. Lett filed pro se a document titled “Petition for Reconsideration on the Alternative Petit ion Giving Notice of Appeal ‘In[]forma Pauper[i]s.’” R. at 93 (capitalization normali zed). In this fili ng, Mr. Lett sought reconsideration of the district court’s § 2241 denial order unde r Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 59(e) and 60(b) . He argued the district c ourt should have granted his petition because his staff repres entative’s role “equate[d] to that of a court appointed counsel in a court proceeding,” R. at 94, and his staff representative rendered constitutionally deficient assistance by faili ng to obtain and present video evidence in the disciplinary proceedings. “In the [a]lternative,” Mr. Lett provided notice of his intent to appeal and so ught leave to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal. R. at 93. The district court docketed this document twice, once as a notice of appeal of the district court’s April 1 order a nd judgment, and again as a motion for reconsideration of the April 1 order. This court then entered an order abating the appeal pending the district court’s resolu tion of the motion for reconsideration, stating “the notice of appeal will become effectiv e when the district court enters an order disposing of the post-judgment motion.” Lett v. Lovett , No. 22-1124, Order (10th Cir. Apr. 19, 2022). The district court denied the motion for reconsideration on April 29, 2022, ruling that a ny alleged failures by the st aff representative would not impact its prior “analysis be cause there is no right to c ounsel in prison disciplinary Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 45 proceedings.” R. at 106 (citing Wolff v. McDonnell , 418 U.S. 539, 570 (1974)). Mr. Lett did not file a new or amended notice of appeal related to the district court’s April 29 order.
II. Discussion Mr. Lett argues the district court made two errors in denying his § 2241 petition: (1) the district c ourt should have found a viola tion of his due process and equal protection rights based on his staff representative’s in effective assi stance in the disciplinary proceedings; and (2 ) the district court should have found a violation of his due process and equal protection right s because the eviden ce presented at his disciplinary hearing did not support his disc iplinary conviction. We lack appellate jurisdiction to consider his first argumen t and reject his second argument on the merits. The district court did not address Mr. Lett’s ineffe ctive-assistance argument until its April 29 order denying his motion for reconsideration. While Mr. Lett seeks to challenge the April 29 order in this appe al, Mr. Lett did not fi le a new or amended notice of appeal designating the April 29 order after he filed his initial notice on April 15. “When an appellant challenge s an order ruling on a motion governed by Appellate Rule 4(a)(4)(B)(ii), a new or amende d notice of appeal is necessary even if the issue raised in the motion and sought to be challenged could also have been challenged in an appeal from the final judgment.” Husky Ventures, Inc. v. B55 Invs., Ltd. , 911 F.3d 1000, 1010 (10th Cir. 2018) . Because Mr. Lett filed his reconsideration motion under Federal Rule s of Civil Procedure 59(e) and 60(b) Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 56 within 28 days of the distri ct court’s judgment, Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 4(a)(4)(B)(ii) governed the district cour t’s April 29 order denying the motion. See Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(4)(B)(ii) (stating the rule applies to “an order disposing of any motion listed in Rule 4(a)(4)(A)”); see also Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(4)(A)(iv), (vi) (listing motions “to alter or amend the judgment under [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure] 59” and motions “for relief under [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure] 60 if the motion is filed no later th an 28 days after the judgment is entered”). Mr. Lett therefore had to file a new or amende d notice designating the April 29 order to preserve appellate review of the district court’s rejection of his ineffective-assistance argument. Because he did not, we must di smiss his challenge to the April 29 order for lack of appellate jurisdiction. See Husky Ventures , 911 F.3d at 1010. We acknowledge the apparent harshness of this holding, particularly because even the government does not question our jurisdiction and the district court’s decision to treat Mr. Lett’s petition for rec onsideration as a notice of appeal could have understandably caused c onfusion about the preservati on of Mr. Lett’s arguments on appeal. But even where “neither party challenges our appellate jurisdiction, we have an independent duty to examine our own jurisdiction.” Amazon, Inc. v. Dirt Camp, Inc. , 273 F.3d 1271, 1274 (10th Cir. 2001). And “[a]lthough a pro se litigant’s pleadings are to be construed libera lly and held to a less stringent standard than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers, th is court has repeatedly insisted that pro se parties follow the same rules of procedure that govern other litigants.” Garrett v. Selby Connor Maddux & Janer , 425 F.3d 836, 840 (10t h Cir. 2005) (brackets, Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 67 citation, and internal quota tion marks omitted). Applying these principles here, we lack jurisdiction to review the April 29 order. 2 Mr. Lett next argues the district cour t erroneously rejected his claim prison officials violated his due process ri ghts by convicting him without sufficient evidence. “When reviewing the denial of a habeas petition under § 2241, we review the district court’s legal conclusions de novo and accept its factual findings unless clearly erroneous.” Leatherwood v. Allbaugh , 861 F.3d 1034, 1042 (10th Cir. 2017) (internal quotation marks omitted). As we explain, the district court did not err. Prisoners possess a liberty interest in their statutorily provided good-time credits. See Wolff , 418 U.S. at 557. And prisoners therefore cannot be deprived of those credits without due process. See id. But “the requirement s of due process are satisfied if some evidence supports the d ecision by the prison disciplinary board to revoke good time credits.” Hill , 472 U.S. at 455. 3 “Ascertaining whether this

2 Even if we had jurisdiction to consid er the argument, we would reject it. Mr. Lett did not establish a due process right to assistance in his disciplinary proceedings. See Wolff , 418 U.S. at 570 (recognizing a due process right to assistance “[w]here an illiterate inmate is involved,” or wh en “the complexity of the issue makes it unlikely that th e inmate will be able to co llect and present the evidence necessary for an adequate comprehension of the case”). And Mr. Lett likewise did not establish a due process violation base d on the staff representative’s performance in connection with the disciplinary proceedings. See Hovater v. Robinson , 1 F.3d 1063, 1068 n.4 (10th Cir. 1993) (“[A] failure to adhere to administrative regulations does not equate to a constitu tional violation.”).

3 Due process also requires that an inmate “receive: (1) advance written notice of the disciplinary charges; (2) an opport unity, when consistent with institutional safety and correctional goals, to call witn esses and present documentary evidence in his defense; and (3) a writte n statement by the factfinder of the evidence relied on Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 78 standard is satisfied does not require ex amination of the entire record, independent assessment of the credibility of witnesses, or weighing of the evidence. Instead, the relevant question is whether there is any evidence in the record that could support the conclusion reached by th e disciplinary board.” Id. at 455–56 (emphasis added). “The decision can be upheld even if the evidence supporting the decision is ‘meager.’” Mitchell v. Maynard , 80 F.3d 1433, 1445 ( 10th Cir. 1996) (quoting Hill , 472 U.S. at 457). Mr. Lett argues the decision by the pris on disciplinary board is not supported by sufficient evidence because the hearing officer placed too much weight on the prison guard’s statement. He suggests ev idence not presented at the disciplinary hearing, such as a fingerprint analysis of th e shank, security footage, or Mr. Walker’s testimony, might have exonerated him. Bu t the record does not show Mr. Lett ever asked the hearing officer to consider any of this eviden ce. Just the opposite. The record shows “he requested no video to be viewed,” R. at 65 (internal quotation marks omitted), and “waived [his] right to witnesses,” R. at 66. Under the circumstances, we discern no due process viol ation in the hearing officer’s failure to consider this evidence. See Ramer v. Kerby , 936 F.2d 1102, 1105 (10th Cir. 1991) (finding no due process violation where th e inmate “effectively den[ied] [prison officials] the opportunity to evaluate hi s request to present . . . testimony at his hearing” because the inmate “had waived his right to obtain testimony from these

and the reasons for the disciplinary action.” Hill , 472 U.S. at 454. Mr. Lett does not contend the prison failed to satisfy these due process requirements. Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 89 witnesses”); cf. Howard v. U.S. Bureau of Prisons , 487 F.3d 808, 813 –14 (10th Cir. 2007) (holding that the disciplinary hearing officer’s “unjustified refusal to produce and review” a video of the incident in ques tion “deprived [the inmate] of the process due him,” where the inmate had “reiterated” to the hearing officer “a request [he] had consistently made before” for prison offici als to “review videotape records”). On de novo review, we agree with the district court that the evidence considered by the hearing officer satisfies the “som e evidence” standard. The guard’s statement describes how the guard saw Mr. Lett hand a “dark brown” “shaft shaped item” to Mr. Walker and further describes rec overing an improvised knife from Mr. Walker. The photograph of the improvised knife recovered by the guard illustrates its dangerous nature and confirms the guard’s de scription. Taken together, this amounts to “some evidence” Mr. Le tt possessed a dangerous weapon. See, e.g. , Ruelas v. Zuercher , 240 F. App’x 796, 79 7 (10th Cir. 2007) ( holding an incident “report alone constitute[d] ‘some evidence ’ of [the convicted inmate’s] guilt”); Longstreth v. Franklin , 240 F. App’x 264, 267 (10th Ci r. 2007) (holding an “incident report was ‘some evidence’”); Hartsfield v. Nichols , 511 F.3d 826, 831 (8th Cir. 2008) (“[A] report from a correctional officer, even if disputed by the inmate and supported by no other evidence, legally su ffices as ‘some evidence’ upon which to base a prison disciplinary violation.”); McPherson v. McBride , 188 F.3d 784, 786 (7th Cir. 1999) (holding a correctional o fficer’s “disciplinar y report . . . alone Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 910 provide[d] ‘some evidence’ for the” disciplinary conviction). 4 That Mr. Lett disputed the guard’s report by stating he “had no knowl edge of the weapon or disposed of it,” id. at 13, does not undermine our conclu sion because we do not “assess[] the credibility of witnesses[] or weigh[] . . . the evidence,” Hill , 472 U.S. at 455. We instead only consider “whether there is any evidence in the record that could support the conclusion reached by th e disciplinary board.” Id. at 455–56. And in this case, considered under the applicable legal standard, there was ev idence in the record that supported the conclusion reach ed by the disciplinary board. 5
III. Conclusion We affirm the district court’s denial of Mr. Lett’s § 2241 petition. We dismiss Mr. Lett’s appeal of the dist rict court’s order denying his motion for reconsideration. We grant Mr. Lett’s motion to proceed on appeal withou t prepayment of costs and fees. Entered for the Court

Veronica S. Rossman Circuit Judge

4 Unpublished cases cited in this decision are not binding precedent, but we consider them for thei r persuasive value. See Fed. R. App. P. 32 .1(a); 10th Cir. R. 32.1(A).

5 Mr. Lett’s opening brief also argues prison officials viol ated his right to equal protection. But “government acti on challenged on equal- protection grounds must ‘affect some groups of citi zens differently th an others.’” Citizens for Const. Integrity v. United States , 57 F.4th 750, 765 (10t h Cir. 2023) (quoting Engquist v. Or. Dep’t of Agric. , 553 U.S. 591, 601 (200 8)). And Mr. Lett does not argue prison officials treated him differently than any similarly-situated individual. We therefore reject his equal protection argument. Appellate Case: 22-1124 Document: 010110817467 Date Filed: 02/24/2023 Page: 10