Background
Samuel Xux-Mucu appealed the district court’s imposition of a one-year term of supervised release following his conviction for possession of fraudulent immigration documents. The district court had sentenced him to time served and ordered his removal from the United States. While his appeal was pending, he completed the full term of his supervised release.
The court’s reasoning
The court held that the challenge to the sentence became moot when the entire sentence, including the term of supervised release, had been served. The court cited United States versus Ketter to support this conclusion. The court also noted that oral argument was unnecessary as the facts and legal contentions were adequately presented in the written materials.
What it means going forward
Appellants challenging supervised release terms must ensure their appeals are resolved before completing the term, or the case will be dismissed as moot.