Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Caleb K. OTSIBAH, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2014-09-24
Citations: 583 F. App'x 212
Docket Number: No. 14-6727
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Caleb K. OTSIBAH, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before AGEE and KEENAN, Circuit Judges, and DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 583
Pages: 212–213

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Caleb K. OTSIBAH, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 14-6727.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: Sept. 15, 2014.
Decided: Sept. 24, 2014.
Caleb K. Otsibah, Appellant Pro Se. James I. Pearce, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.; David Ira Salem, Assistant United States Attorney, Greenbelt, Maryland, for Appellee.
Before AGEE and KEENAN, Circuit Judges, and DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge.

Opinion:
Dismissed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Caleb K. Otsibah seeks to appeal the district court's order denying relief on his 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 Otsibah 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 deny Otsibah's motion to appoint counsel. 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.