The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion by appointed counsel to withdraw from representing the defendant. The court dismissed the appeal after finding no nonfrivolous issues for appellate review.
The defendant, Justin Lattier, appealed a conviction from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Appointed counsel moved to withdraw and filed a brief in accordance with Anders v. California and United States v. Flores, asserting that the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issues. The defendant filed a response to the motion.
The court’s reasoning
The court reviewed counsel’s brief and the relevant portions of the record, including the defendant’s response. The court concurred with counsel’s assessment that the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issue for appellate review.
What it means going forward
The dismissal terminates the appellate proceedings, and appointed counsel is relieved of further duties in the matter.
