Case Name: Johnnie Nell JONES, Jr., a/k/a Jonnie Nell Jones, Jr., Petitioner-Appellant, v. Commonwealth of VIRGINIA; Harold W. Clarke, Director, Respondents-Appellees
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2015-11-24
Citations: 623 F. App'x 99
Docket Number: No. 15-7186
Parties: Johnnie Nell JONES, Jr., a/k/a Jonnie Nell Jones, Jr., Petitioner-Appellant, v. Commonwealth of VIRGINIA; Harold W. Clarke, Director, Respondents-Appellees.
Judges: Before NIEMEYER, KING, and HARRIS, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 623
Pages: 99–100

Head Matter:
Johnnie Nell JONES, Jr., a/k/a Jonnie Nell Jones, Jr., Petitioner-Appellant, v. Commonwealth of VIRGINIA; Harold W. Clarke, Director, Respondents-Appellees.
No. 15-7186.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: Nov. 19, 2015.
Decided: Nov. 24, 2015.
Johnnie Nell Jones, Jr., Appellant Pro Se. Kathleen Beatty Martin, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellee.
Before NIEMEYER, KING, and HARRIS, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
Dismissed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Johnnie Nell Jones, Jr., seeks to appeal the district court's order accepting the recommendation of the magistrate judge and dismissing his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (2012) petition. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(A) (2012). A certificate of ap-pealability 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 petition 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 Jones 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.