Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Matthew Brian WARFORD, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2014-09-29
Citations: 583 F. App'x 289
Docket Number: No. 14-6447
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Matthew Brian WARFORD, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before WILKINSON and AGEE, Circuit Judges, DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 583
Pages: 289–289

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Matthew Brian WARFORD, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 14-6447.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: Sept. 25, 2014.
Decided: Sept. 29, 2014.
Matthew Brian Warford, Appellant Pro Se. Ethan A. Ontjes, Assistant United States Attorney, Shailika K. Shah, Office of the United States Attorney, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Before WILKINSON and AGEE, Circuit Judges, DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge.

Opinion:
Dismissed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Matthew Brian Warford seeks to appeal the district court's order accepting the recommendation of the magistrate judge and denying relief on his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) motion. The order is not appeal-able unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B) (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 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 Warford has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability, deny Warford's motion to appoint counsel, 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.