Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Eric O. JONES, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2017-03-16
Citations: 680 F. App'x 258
Docket Number: No. 16-7467
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Eric O. JONES, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before FLOYD and HARRIS, Circuit Judges, and DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 680
Pages: 258–259

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Eric O. JONES, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 16-7467
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: March 14, 2017
Decided: March 16, 2017
Eric O. Jones, Appellant Pro Se. David A. Bragdon, William Miller Gilmore, Seth Morgan Wood, Assistant United States Attorneys, Shailika S. Kotiya, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Before FLOYD and HARRIS, Circuit Judges, and DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge.

Opinion:
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Eric 0. Jones seeks to appeal the district court's order denying relief on his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) motion. The order ⅛ not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2258(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 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