Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Christopher CUNNINGHAM, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2016-04-11
Citations: 644 F. App'x 244
Docket Number: No. 15-7762
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Christopher CUNNINGHAM, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before NIEMEYER, DUNCAN, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 644
Pages: 244–244

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Christopher CUNNINGHAM, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 15-7762.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: March 31, 2016.
Decided: April 11, 2016.
Christopher Cunningham, Appellant Pro Se. Chad Golder, Office of the United States Attorney, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.
Before NIEMEYER, DUNCAN, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
Dismissed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Christopher Cunningham seeks to appeal the district court's order dismissing his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) motion. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certifícate of ap-pealability. 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 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 Cunningham has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability, deny leave to proceed in forma pauper-is, 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.