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Stephen D. Herto v. John T. Murphy, Warden

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, No. 24-6961 · judgment February 10, 2025


Certiorari denied · April 27, 2026
Pre-decision estimate: 0% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

A District Court failed to adjudicate a single claim from the petitioner in its final order dismissing his petilion under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. The petitioner filed a Motion to Amend Judgement and Findings under Fed. R. Civ. P. Rule 59(e). The District Court for the first time adjudicated the claim in response in a footnote, denying the motion, and denying a certificate of appealability. The District Court committed a fallacious error in its response forsaking all evidence before it and denying a certificate of appealability(COA). Can the district court deny a merit claim based on an entirely fabricated basis, that is contrary to the record and not argued by either party? Can a certificate of appealability be denied under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2) by the District Court without evidence in the record to support its stated reasons for meritorious denial and the only evidence in the record supporting the petitioners claim? Can the US Court of Appeals confirm such a denial of a certificate of appealability?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Stephen D. Herto

For respondent
Michael Ray Williams
Office of the West Virginia Attorney General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Apr 27 2026
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Apr 08 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/24/2026.
  3. Apr 02 2026
    Waiver of right of respondent John T. Murphy to respond filed.
  4. Jun 06 2025
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 30, 2026)