United States v. Watts

UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. No. 96-7083 ANDRE SYLVESTER WATTS, Defendant-Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Albert V. Bryan, Jr., Senior District Judge. (CR-87-13-A, CA-96-784-AM) Submitted: September 8, 1998 Decided: September 23, 1998 Before MURNAGHAN and NIEMEYER, Circuit Judges, and BUTZNER, Senior Circuit Judge. _________________________________________________________________ Vacated and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion. _________________________________________________________________ COUNSEL Andre Sylvester Watts, Appellant Pro Se. Ellyn Marcus Lindsay, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Alexandria, Vir- ginia, for Appellee. _________________________________________________________________ Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See Local Rule 36(c). OPINION PER CURIAM: Appellant appeals from a district court order that concluded his motion filed under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255 (West 1994 & Supp. 1998) was barred by the one-year limitations period of 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255 (West Supp. 1998). Appellant's conviction became final in 1988, and he filed his habeas motion on May 31, 1996. Appellant had until April 23, 1997 to file his § 2255 motion. See Brown v. Angelone, ___ F.3d ___, 1998 WL 389030 (4th Cir. July 14, 1998) (Nos. 96-7173, 96- 7208) (decided after the district court's order). Therefore, his motion was not time barred. For these reasons, we grant a certificate of appealability on this issue, vacate the district court's order, and remand for further proceedings. 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. VACATED AND REMANDED 2