Opinion ID: 763057
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Certificate of Appealability Issues

Text: 19 Chapter 153 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) amended 28 U.S.C. § 2253 to require state habeas petitioners to seek a certificate of appealability (COA), rather than the certificate of probable cause required under prior law. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1). The substantive standards for granting the two certificates are identical--a substantial showing of the denial of a federal constitutional right. See Ramsey v. Bowersox, 149 F.3d 749, 759 (8th Cir.1998). But AEDPA changed the scope of a certificate. [A] certificate of probable cause place[d] the case before the court of appeals, but a certificate of appealability must identify each issue meeting the 'substantial showing' standard. Herrera v. United States, 96 F.3d 1010, 1012 (7th Cir.1996). Hunter argues we erred in limiting the issues he may brief and argue on appeal because (1) the COA provisions of AEDPA do not apply to habeas petitions filed prior to AEDPA's effective date, April 24, 1996; and (2) AEDPA's COA provisions do not in any event limit the issues reviewable on appeal. 2 20 (1) In Tiedeman v. Benson, 122 F.3d 518, 520-21 (8th Cir.1997), we applied AEDPA's new appellate procedures to an appeal filed after the statute's effective date, even though the habeas petition was initially filed prior to that date. Hunter's amended habeas petition was filed on February 26, 1996. His notice of appeal from the denial of that petition was filed in April 1997, long after AEDPA went into effect. Hunter argues Tiedeman is contrary to the Supreme Court's decision in Lindh v. Murphy, 521 U.S. 320, 117 S.Ct. 2059, 138 L.Ed.2d 481 (1997). That issue was expressly considered in Tiedeman, and we have since declined numerous requests to reconsider Tiedeman en banc. This panel is bound to follow Tiedeman. Thus, Hunter's appeal is subject to AEDPA's COA requirement. 21 (2) Hunter next argues that AEDPA does not require him to obtain a COA for each issue he wishes to present for appellate review. This contention is foreclosed by our decision in Ramsey, 149 F.3d at 759, where we held that the plain language of § 2253(c)(3) limits appellate review to the issues specified in the COA. Accord Murray v. United States, 145 F.3d 1249, 1250-51 (11th Cir.1998); Roberts v. Bowersox, 137 F.3d 1062, 1068 (8th Cir.1998), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 119 S.Ct. 808, 142 L.Ed.2d 668, 1999 WL 8123 (1999); Lackey v. Johnson, 116 F.3d 149, 151-52 (5th Cir.1997). Hunter suggests it is unfair to impose this radical change without an advance warning such as the adoption of a local rule. But under prior law we occasionally screened out meritless appeal issues by limiting certificates of probable cause. See Camillo v. Wyrick, 640 F.2d 931, 934 (8th Cir.1981). In AEDPA, Congress directed us to use this authority in a more systematic fashion. The result is not to eliminate our consideration of meritless issues altogether, but rather to resolve such issues expeditiously so that counsel will focus their briefs and arguments on the issues that matter, that is, those on which there is some likelihood of appellate relief.