Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Richard MCDONALD, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2017-04-20
Citations: 685 F. App'x 257
Docket Number: No. 16-7246
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Richard MCDONALD, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and NIEMEYER and KING, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 685
Pages: 257–257

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Richard MCDONALD, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 16-7246
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: March 23, 2017
Decided: April 20, 2017
Richard McDonald, Appellant Pro Se. Zelda Elizabeth Wesley, Assistant United States Attorney, Clarksburg, West Virginia, for Appellee.
Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and NIEMEYER and KING, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Richard McDonald seeks to appeal the district court's order accepting the recommendation of the magistrate judge and denying relief on McDonald's 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) 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 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 McDonald 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