Case Explained: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MILTON LEWIS LANE, JR

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-28 The fourth-circuit dismissed the appeal for lack of a certificate of appealability. The court applied the standard under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c), which requires a prisoner to make a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right to obtain such a certificate. Because the district court denied Lane’s motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 on the merits, the court determined that Lane failed to demonstrate that reasonable jurists could find the district court’s assessment of his constitutional claims debatable or wrong. Consequently, the court denied the certificate of appealability and dismissed the appeal without oral argument. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.