Ferguson v. Edwards

Filing 920061214

Opinion

UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 06-7478

LENTON A. FERGUSON, Petitioner - Appellant, versus LISA EDWARDS, Respondent - Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Gerald Bruce Lee, District Judge. (1:05-cv-01125-GBL)

Submitted:

December 6, 2006

Decided:

December 14, 2006

Before MICHAEL, KING, and DUNCAN, Circuit Judges.

Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Lenton A. Ferguson, Appellant Pro Se. Michael Thomas Judge, OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF VIRGINIA, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

PER CURIAM: Lenton A. Ferguson, a state prisoner, seeks to appeal the district court's order dismissing his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (2000) petition for failure to exhaust his state court remedies. The

order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1) (2000). A

certificate of appealability will not issue absent "a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right." § 2253(c)(2) (2000). that A prisoner satisfies would that this 28 U.S.C. standard that by his

demonstrating constitutional

reasonable are

jurists and

find any

claims

debatable

dispositive

procedural rulings by the district court are also debatable or wrong. See Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336 (2003);

Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000); Rose v. Lee, 252 F.3d 676, 683 (4th Cir. 2001). We have independently reviewed the

record and conclude that Ferguson has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny Ferguson's motion for a certificate We dispense with oral

of appealability and dismiss the appeal.

argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

DISMISSED

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