Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Gerald Damone HOPPER, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2012-04-02
Citations: 470 F. App'x 115
Docket Number: No. 11-7243
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, v. Gerald Damone HOPPER, Defendant—Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 470
Pages: 115–116

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, v. Gerald Damone HOPPER, Defendant—Appellant.
No. 11-7243.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: March 29, 2012.
Decided: April 2, 2012.
Gerald Damone Hopper, Appellant Pro Se. Amy Elizabeth Ray, Assistant United States Attorney, Asheville, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Before WILKINSON, KING, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges.
Dismissed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
Gerald Damone Hopper seeks to appeal the district court's order treating his Hazel-Atlas Motion as a successive 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255 (West Supp.2011) motion, and dismissing it without prejudice on that basis. He also seeks to appeal the court's subsequent orders granting reconsideration but reaffirming the dismissal of his Hazel-Atlas Motion, denying his motion to vacate order and reinstate the Hazel-Atlas motion, and denying his motion for reconsideration or to alter or amend. The orders are not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B) (2006). 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) (2006). 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 Hopper has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability and dismiss the appeal.
Additionally, we construe Hopper's notice of appeal and informal brief as an application to file a second or successive § 2255 motion. United States v. Winestock, 340 F.3d 200, 208 (4th Cir.2003). In order to obtain authorization to file a successive § 2255 motion, a prisoner must assert claims based on either: (1) newly discovered evidence, not previously discoverable by due diligence, that would be sufficient to establish by clear and convincing evidence that, but for constitutional error, no reasonable factfinder would have found the movant guilty of the offense; or (2) a new rule of constitutional law, previously unavailable, made retroactive by the Su preme Court to cases on collateral review. 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255(h) (West Supp.2011). Hopper's claims do not satisfy either of these criteria. Therefore, we deny authorization to file a successive § 2255 motion.
We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
DISMISSED.