Lee Mooney v. Chadwick Dotson

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Lee Mooney v. Chadwick Dotson

Opinion

USCA4 Appeal: 23-6545 Doc: 14 Filed: 10/24/2024 Pg: 1 of 2

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 23-6545

LEE ALDEN MOONEY,

Petitioner - Appellant,

v.

CHADWICK DOTSON, Director Virginia Department of Corrections,

Respondent - Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Richmond. Henry E. Hudson, Senior District Judge. (3:21-cv-00579-HEH-MRC)

Submitted: October 22, 2024 Decided: October 24, 2024

Before KING and WYNN, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge.

Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Lee Alden Mooney, Appellant Pro Se.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. USCA4 Appeal: 23-6545 Doc: 14 Filed: 10/24/2024 Pg: 2 of 2

PER CURIAM:

Lee Alden Mooney seeks to appeal the district court’s order dismissing as untimely

his

28 U.S.C. § 2254

petition. See Gonzalez v. Thaler,

565 U.S. 134

, 148 & n.9 (2012)

(explaining that § 2254 petitions are subject to one-year statute of limitations, running from

latest of four commencement dates enumerated in

28 U.S.C. § 2244

(d)(1)). The order is

not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability.

28 U.S.C. § 2253

(c)(1)(A). 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, as here,

the district court denies relief on procedural grounds, the prisoner must demonstrate both

that the dispositive procedural ruling is debatable and that the petition states a debatable

claim of the denial of a constitutional right. Gonzalez,

565 U.S. at 140

-41 (citing Slack v.

McDaniel,

529 U.S. 473, 484

(2000)).

We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that Mooney 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Unpublished