US v. Miguel Zelaya, No. 23-6170 (4th Cir. 2023)
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UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 23-6170 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. MIGUEL ZELAYA, a/k/a Most Wanted, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, at Charlotte. Robert J. Conrad, Jr., District Judge. (3:15-cr-00121-RJC-DSC-37) Submitted: May 23, 2023 Before AGEE, WYNN, and QUATTLEBAUM, Circuit Judges. Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Miguel Zelaya, Appellant Pro Se. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. Decided: May 26, 2023 PER CURIAM: Miguel Zelaya seeks to appeal the district court’s order construing his self-styled motions for “Renewed Judgment as Matter of Law” as 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motions and dismissing them as successive and unauthorized. 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, 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 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 Zelaya 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
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