Court Opinion

ID: 1012025
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2013-07-04 20:37:54.995827+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:38:56.978773
License: Public Domain

UNPUBLISHED

                      UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                          FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

                               No. 03-7188

JOE L. HOLMES,

                                                Petitioner - Appellant,

             versus

GARY D. MAYNARD, Director; CHARLES M. CONDON;
JON   E.  OZMINT,   Director;  HENRY   DARGAN
MCMASTER,

                                               Respondents - Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
South Carolina, at Greenville. G. Ross Anderson, Jr., District
Judge. (CA-03-576-13AK)

Submitted:    November 19, 2003              Decided:   December 4, 2003

Before WILKINSON and GREGORY, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior
Circuit Judge.

Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Joe L. Holmes, Appellant Pro Se. Samuel Creighton Waters, OFFICE OF
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Columbia, South Carolina,
for Appellees.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
See Local Rule 36(c).
PER CURIAM:

     Joe L. Holmes, a state prisoner, seeks to appeal the district

court’s order accepting the magistrate judge’s recommendation to

deny relief on Holmes’ petition filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2254

(2000).    The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or

judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)

(2000).    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) (2000).        A prisoner satisfies this standard by

demonstrating      that   reasonable       jurists       would   find    that   his

constitutional     claims    are   debatable       and   that    any    dispositive

procedural rulings by the district court are also debatable or

wrong.    See Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336 (2003); Slack

v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000); Rose v. Lee, 252 F.3d 676,

683 (4th Cir. 2001). We have independently reviewed the record and

conclude    that    Holmes   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 the

court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

                                                                          DISMISSED

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