Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Deborah Lee TIPTON, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2016-10-18
Citations: 669 F. App'x 650
Docket Number: No. 16-6692
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Deborah Lee TIPTON, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before NIEMEYER, DUNCAN, and WYNN, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 669
Pages: 650–651

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Deborah Lee TIPTON, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 16-6692
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: October 13, 2016
Decided: October 18, 2016
Deborah Lee Tipton, Appellant Pro Se. Gill Paul Beck, Sr., Amy Elizabeth Ray, Assistant United States Attorneys, David A. Thorneloe, Office of the United States Attorney, Asheville, North Carolina; Cort-ney Randall, Assistant United States Attorney, Elizabeth Margaret Greenough, Office of the United States Attorney, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Before NIEMEYER, DUNCAN, and WYNN, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Deborah Lee Tipton seeks to appeal the district court's order denying relief on her 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) motion. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certifícate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2258(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 that the district court's assessment of the constitutional claims is 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 Tipton has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability, deny leave to proceed in forma pauperis, 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