Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal sua sponte because the plaintiff filed a notice of appeal before the district court entered any order or judgment. The court held that appellate jurisdiction is strictly limited to final decisions, rendering a premature notice of appeal ineffective.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Fritz Lafontante's motion for compassionate release, ruling that the sentencing factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) weighed against early release. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in prioritizing the seriousness of Lafontante's drug trafficking offense and the need for public safety over his medical conditions.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a defendant's motion to dismiss his criminal indictment for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. The Court held that the case was no longer pending for jurisdictional challenges because the mandate had already issued following the defendant's direct appeal.
The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from representing the defendant in a direct criminal appeal. The court affirmed the district court's judgment after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed the appeal sua sponte because the petitioner's notice of appeal was filed one day after the statutory deadline expired. The court held that the prison mailbox rule did not save the filing, leaving the court without appellate jurisdiction.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a defendant's sentence, ruling that supervised release conditions requiring full-time employment, polygraph testing, and no contact with minors were not substantively unreasonable. The court clarified that such conditions need only be reasonably related to statutory factors rather than supported by each factor individually.
The First Circuit affirmed the federal convictions of three defendants for RICO and drug conspiracy, rejecting challenges to the admission of hearsay statements made by coconspirators. The court held that the district court properly found the statements were made during and in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that any error in their admission was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
The First Circuit affirms the federal convictions of three defendants for RICO and drug conspiracy, rejecting their challenges to the admission of hearsay statements made by coconspirators. The court holds that the District Court properly found the statements were made during and in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that any error in their admission was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus and habeas corpus because it lacks subject matter jurisdiction over state court decisions. The court clarified that the All Writs Act does not grant jurisdiction to review state rulings or hear habeas petitions.
The First Circuit affirms federal RICO and drug conspiracy convictions for three defendants, rejecting challenges to the admission of hearsay statements made by coconspirators. The court holds that the District Court properly found the statements were made during and in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that any error in their admission was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
