United States v. Rockett

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States v. Rockett, 399 F. App'x 831 (4th Cir. 2010)

United States v. Rockett

Opinion

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 10-6961

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff – Appellee,

v.

JAMES ROCKETT, III, a/k/a James Rocket, a/k/a James Rockett,

Defendant – Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Norfolk. Mark S. Davis, District Judge. (2:05-cr-00135-WDK-JEB-1; 2:07-cv-00336-WDK)

Submitted: October 19, 2010 Decided: October 28, 2010

Before DUNCAN, KEENAN, and WYNN, Circuit Judges.

Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

James Rockett, III, Appellant Pro Se. Darryl James Mitchell, Assistant United States Attorney, Norfolk, Virginia, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. PER CURIAM:

James Rockett, III, seeks to appeal the district

court’s order treating his Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b) motion as a

successive

28 U.S.C.A. § 2255

(West Supp. 2010) motion, and

dismissing it on that basis. The order is not appealable unless

a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of

appealability.

28 U.S.C. § 2253

(c)(1) (2006); Reid v. Angelone,

369 F.3d 363, 369

(4th Cir. 2004). 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)

(2006). 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

(2000); see Miller-El v.

Cockrell,

537 U.S. 322, 336-38

(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

.

We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that

Rockett has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we

deny a certificate of appealability and dismiss the appeal.

2 Additionally, we construe Rockett’s notice of appeal

and informal brief as an application to file a second or

successive § 2255 motion. United States v. Winestock,

340 F.3d 200, 208

(4th Cir. 2003). In order to obtain authorization to

file a successive § 2255 motion, a prisoner must assert claims

based on either: (1) newly discovered evidence, not previously

discoverable by due diligence, that would be sufficient to

establish by clear and convincing evidence that, but for

constitutional error, no reasonable factfinder would have found

the movant guilty of the offense; or (2) a new rule of

constitutional law, previously unavailable, made retroactive by

the Supreme Court to cases on collateral review.

28 U.S.C.A. § 2255

(h). Rockett’s claims do not satisfy either of these

criteria. Therefore, we deny authorization to file a successive

§ 2255 motion.

Finally, we deny Rockett’s motion to seal and motion

to subpoena or submit witness statements. 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

3

Reference

Status
Unpublished