Topic
Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of Juan Zapata's habeas petition challenging the revocation of his good conduct time. The court held that the prison's disciplinary finding of constructive possession was supported by the required 'some evidence' standard.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed a prisoner's appeal because he failed to obtain a certificate of appealability. The court held that the prisoner did not make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the district court's procedural ruling debatable or wrong.
The Fourth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed Tony Bryan Smith's habeas appeal because he failed to meet the statutory requirements for challenging a procedural dismissal. The court found that Smith did not demonstrate that the district court's ruling on the successive nature of his petition was debatable or that he substantially showed a denial of a constitutional right.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal by a federal prisoner because he failed to demonstrate that reasonable jurists could find the district court's denial of his habeas claims debatable. Without a certificate of appealability, the district court's order denying relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 remains in full effect.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of Bernard Celestine's motions for sentence reduction and compassionate release while dismissing his appeal regarding a successive habeas claim. The court held that Celestine failed to challenge the procedural dismissal of his § 2255 motion in his informal brief, thereby failing to demonstrate the requisite substantial showing of a constitutional right denial.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed Robert Allen McClinton's appeal from his denied § 2255 motion because his notice of appeal was filed well past the 60-day deadline. The court rejected McClinton's claim that the prison mailbox rule applied, finding he failed to deliver the notice to prison officials within the statutory period.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Erwin Eugene Semien's civil rights complaint, ruling that he abandoned several claims and failed to adequately allege constitutional violations. The court held that Semien did not state a claim for due process or equal protection because he lacked a protected property interest and failed to identify specific comparators.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a federal prisoner's habeas petition because his appeal brief failed to challenge the underlying dismissal order. By exclusively arguing against the denial of a motion for reconsideration without filing a separate notice of appeal, the petitioner abandoned his substantive claims.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed Olee Wonzo Robinson's appeal because the district court's order reopening his habeas case was not a final judgment or an appealable interlocutory order. The appellate court held it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to review the order granting reconsideration.
The First Circuit vacated the dismissal of Arthur Miles' habeas petition, ruling that the Bureau of Prisons cannot deny First Step Act time credits for work performed in a county jail prior to transfer to a federal facility. The court held that the BOP's regulations contradicting the statutory definition of when a sentence commences are invalid and that a risk assessment is not a prerequisite for earning credits.