Case Explained: JERROD LAMONT BENSON v. WARDEN; MARYLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-23 The Fourth Circuit dismissed Jerrod Lamont Benson’s appeal from the denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas corpus petition because he failed to obtain a certificate of appealability. Under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c), an appeal in a habeas case is not permissible unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate, which requires the petitioner to make a “substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” The court applied the standard from *Buck v. Davis* and *Gonzalez v. Thaler*, concluding that Benson did not demonstrate that reasonable jurists could find the district court’s assessment of his claims debatable or wrong. Additionally, the court denied Benson’s motion to appoint counsel after independently reviewing the record. As a practical consequence, the appeal is dismissed without oral argument, and no relief is granted on the merits of the constitutional claims. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.