July 16, 2026·25-2258·Panel Decision·By James Taylor
The Eighth Circuit vacated a condition of supervised release requiring sex offender registration after the government conceded the condition was erroneous. The court affirmed the remainder of the defendant's sentence, finding it was not substantively unreasonable.
Brandon Jones appealed his sentence following a guilty plea to drug offenses. He challenged a condition of supervised release requiring sex offender registration, arguing he had never been convicted of a sex offense, and also argued his sentence was substantively unreasonable.
The court’s reasoning
The court noted the government’s concession that the sex offender registration condition was erroneous and vacated that condition. Regarding the sentence length, the court applied abuse of discretion review and concluded the district court did not impose a substantively unreasonable sentence.
What it means going forward
The judgment is amended to remove the sex offender registration condition, while the underlying sentence remains in effect.
