Collins Iris Gaston v. United States

Collins Iris Gaston, a federal prisoner serving a 135-month sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine, appeals pro se the district court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate, set aside, or correct a sentence. The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), Pub.L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214 (1996), governs this appeal because Gaston filed his motion after the AEDPA’s enactment. We granted a certificate of appealability only as to ‘Whether appellant was denied effective assistance of counsel when counsel failed to file a timely…