Robert Bryant Melson v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections

Robert Bryant Melson appeals the district court’s dismissal of his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 federal habeas corpus petition as untimely. The district court rejected Mel-son’s argument that the one-year statute of limitations for filing a federal habeas petition should be equitably tolled, finding *1087that Melson was not reasonably diligent in pursuing his rights and that the conduct of Melson’s attorneys did not constitute an extraordinary circumstance that warrants equitable relief. After a review of the record and oral argument, we affirm.

I. PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Melson was convicted of three…