Mar 18 2026
1st Cir. 24-1715 Panel Decision

RODOLFO CARR v. KENNETH LIZOTTE

The First Circuit affirmed the denial of a habeas petition challenging a first-degree murder conviction, ruling that the Sixth Amendment speedy-trial clock did not begin until Carr's 1997 indictment. The court further held that Carr's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel failed because his attorneys' strategic choices were not objectively unreasonable and the additional evidence would not have changed the outcome under state law.

Mar 17 2026
4th Cir. 25-6317 Per Curiam

CALVIN TERRELL WILLIAMS v. WARDEN OF PERRY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

The Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal from a district court's denial of a state prisoner's habeas corpus petition because the petitioner failed to obtain a certificate of appealability. The court held that Williams did not make a substantial showing that his constitutional rights were denied, a statutory requirement for appellate review.

Mar 17 2026
4th Cir. 25-6593 Per Curiam

ARKEEM H. NELLON v. LESLIE COOLEY-DISMUKES

The Fourth Circuit dismissed Arkeem H. Nellon's appeal from a district court's procedural dismissal of his habeas petition because he failed to obtain a certificate of appealability. The court independently reviewed the record and found Nellon did not make the requisite substantial showing that the procedural ruling was debatable or that his underlying claim involved a constitutional right.

Mar 17 2026
4th Cir. 25-6262 Per Curiam

RICHARD THURSTON v. WILLIAM BOHRER; MARYLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Fourth Circuit dismissed Richard Thurston's appeal from a district court's denial of his habeas corpus petition because he failed to obtain a required certificate of appealability. The court found that Thurston did not make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the district court's assessment of his constitutional claims debatable or wrong.