Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Hassan HAMMOUD, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2016-12-12
Citations: 671 F. App'x 141
Docket Number: No. 16-6964
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Hassan HAMMOUD, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before KEENAN, WYNN, and DIAZ, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 671
Pages: 141–141

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Hassan HAMMOUD, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 16-6964
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: November 17, 2016
Decided: December 12, 2016
Hassan Hammoud, Appellant Pro Se. Judson T. Mihok, Sandra Wilkinson, Assistant United States Attorneys, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellee.
Before KEENAN, WYNN, and DIAZ, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Hassan Hammoud seeks to appeal the district court's order denying relief on his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B) (2012). A certificate of appealability will not issue absent "a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right." 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2) (2012). When the district court denies relief on the merits, a prisoner satisfies this standard by demonstrating that "reasonable jurists would find the district court's assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong." Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484, 120 S.Ct. 1595, 146 L.Ed.2d 542 (2000); see Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336-38, 123 S.Ct. 1029, 154 L.Ed.2d 931 (2003). When the district court denies relief on procedural grounds, the prisoner must demonstrate both that the dispositive procedural ruling is debatable, and that the motion states a debatable claim of the denial of a constitutional right. Slack, 529 U.S. at 484-85, 120 S.Ct. 1595.
We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that Hammoud has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability and dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
DISMISSED