Ramey v. Johnson

UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 05-6882 WILLIAM PAUL RAMEY, JR., Petitioner - Appellant, versus GENE JOHNSON, Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections; TRACY RAY, Warden; JERRY KILGORE, Attorney General of the State of Virginia, Respondents - Appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, at Roanoke. Jackson L. Kiser, Senior District Judge. (CA-05-134-7) Submitted: October 20, 2005 Decided: October 28, 2005 Before NIEMEYER and SHEDD, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior Circuit Judge. Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Gary Gray Gilliam, Sr., GILLIAM LAW OFFICE, PC, Norton, Virginia, for Appellant Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See Local Rule 36(c). PER CURIAM: William Paul Ramey, Jr., seeks to appeal the district court’s order denying as untimely his petition filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (2000). We dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction because the notice of appeal was not timely filed. Parties are accorded thirty days after the entry of the district court’s final judgment or order to note an appeal, Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(A), unless the district court extends the appeal period under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(5) or reopens the appeal period under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(6). This appeal period is “mandatory and jurisdictional.” Browder v. Director, Dep’t of Corr., 434 U.S. 257, 264 (1978) (quoting United States v. Robinson, 361 U.S. 220, 229 (1960)). The district court’s judgment was entered on the docket on May 3, 2005. The notice of appeal was filed on June 3, 2005. Because Ramey failed to file a timely notice of appeal or to obtain an extension or reopening of the appeal period, we deny a certificate of appealability and dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral 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 - 2 -