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888 F.3d 150

Docket No. 14-50674

In re Salas

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Decided April 17, 2018

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals · decided 2018-04-17

Cited by 2 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently December 2021

Applies 21 U.S.C. § 841 (§ 401 of the Controlled Substances Act) · 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996)

Relies on 134 S. Ct. 881 - Burrage v. United States · Santillana v. Upton

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Opinion by (per_curiam) · Decided 2018-04-17

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¶1IN RE: Michael Lara SALAS, Movant

¶2Michael L. Salas, Beaumont, TX, Pro Se.

¶3Before SMITH, HAYNES, and WILLETT, Circuit Judges.

¶4PER CURIAM:

¶5Michael Lara Salas, federal prisoner # 54427-080, seeks authorization to file a second or successive 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion. In accordance with a written plea agreement under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C), Salas is serving a 288-month sentence for trafficking in cocaine and heroin. None of Salas's proposed claims are based on newly discovered evidence. See § 2255(h)(1).

¶6In pertinent part, Salas asserts that he is entitled to relief under Burrage v. United States , --- U.S. ----, 134 S.Ct. 881, 187 L.Ed.2d 715 (2014). In Burrage , the Supreme Court held that, in order to apply the mandatory sentence under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) for a death resulting from the defendant's drug trafficking, it is necessary to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the death would not have occurred "but for" the defendant's conduct. Burrage , 134 S.Ct. at 887-92. However, Burrage was decided on direct appeal, and nothing suggests that the Supreme Court has made Burrage retroactive to cases on collateral review. See § 2255(h)(2). Moreover, in Burrage the Court was interpreting a statute, § 841(b)(1)(C), and did not announce a new rule of constitutional law. SeeBurrage , 134 S.Ct. at 885-92 ; Santillana v. Upton , 846 F.3d 779, 783 (5th Cir. 2017) (addressing savings clause issue and concluding that Burrage was a new rule of *151statutory law). Salas fails to satisfy the requirements of § 2255(h).

¶7IT IS ORDERED that Salas's motion for authorization to file a successive § 2255 motion is DENIED.

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