Hunter Keith Potts v. Captain Christopher Fowler; Sheriff Brian Chism
June 30, 2026·25-6878·Per Curiam·By James Taylor
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal by a North Carolina prisoner seeking relief under a habeas corpus petition. The court found that the petitioner failed to make the requisite showing to obtain a certificate of appealability.
Hunter Keith Potts, a North Carolina prisoner, filed a petition under twenty-eight U.S.C. section two thousand two hundred forty-one seeking relief from his conviction or sentence. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina denied the petition. Potts then sought to appeal that denial to the Fourth Circuit.
The court’s reasoning
The court explained that an order denying relief on a habeas petition is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. To obtain such a certificate, a prisoner must make a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. The court reviewed the record and concluded that Potts had not made the requisite showing to demonstrate that reasonable jurists could find the district court’s assessment debatable or wrong.
What it means going forward
The dismissal prevents the petitioner from pursuing further appellate review of the district court’s denial of his habeas petition in the Fourth Circuit.
