United States v. Damion Bunch

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

United States v. Damion Bunch

Opinion

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 20-6484

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

DAMION BUNCH,

Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Newport News. Robert G. Doumar, Senior District Judge. (4:15-cr-00087-RGD-LRL-1; 4:18-cv-00013-RGD)

Submitted: December 16, 2020 Decided: December 31, 2020

Before AGEE, THACKER, and HARRIS, Circuit Judges.

Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Damion Bunch, Appellant Pro Se.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.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

Damion Bunch seeks to appeal the district court’s order denying relief on his

28 U.S.C. § 2255

motion. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues

a certificate of appealability. See

28 U.S.C. § 2253

(c)(1)(B). 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). When the district court denies relief on the merits, a prisoner satisfies

this standard by demonstrating that reasonable jurists could find the district court’s

assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong. See Buck v. Davis,

137 S. Ct. 759, 773-74

(2017). 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. Gonzalez v.

Thaler,

565 U.S. 134, 140-41

(2012) (citing Slack v. McDaniel,

529 U.S. 473, 484

(2000)).

We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that Bunch 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

2

Reference

Status
Unpublished