Case Explained: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. OCTAVIOUS ARTIS

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-24 The Fourth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed the appeal filed by Octavious Artis regarding his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion and motion to alter or amend judgment. The court held that an appeal from a denial of relief under § 2255 is not permissible without a certificate of appealability, which requires a “substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” Under the standard established in *Buck v. Davis* and *Gonzalez v. Thaler*, Artis failed to demonstrate that reasonable jurists could find the district court’s assessment of his constitutional claims debatable or wrong. Consequently, no certificate was issued, resulting in 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.