Case Explained: CHARLES TERRY v. SUPERINTENDENT JONATHAN FRAME, Mount Olive Correctional Complex and Jail

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-28 The fourth-circuit dismissed Charles Terry’s appeal from the denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 petition and denied his motion for a certificate of appealability. The court held that Terry failed to preserve appellate review of the magistrate judge’s recommendation because his objections were not specific to the particularized legal recommendations regarding ineffective assistance by trial counsel, despite receiving proper notice of the consequences of noncompliance. Under Fourth Circuit precedent, including *Martin v. Duffy*, 858 F.3d 239 (4th Cir. 2017), a party must object with sufficient specificity to reasonably alert the district court to the true ground for the objection. Consequently, Terry’s failure to meet this standard foreclosed appellate review of the substantive issues, leading to the dismissal of the appeal without oral argument. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.