Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction and supervised release revocation for illegal reentry. The court held that the defendant's constitutional challenge to the statutory sentencing enhancement was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a twenty-four-month above-guidelines sentence imposed on Aubrey Suzuki following a second revocation of supervised release. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in balancing the sentencing factors under Section thirty-five fifty-three of Title eighteen of the United States Code.
The Ninth Circuit vacated a district court's dismissal of a habeas petition because the lower court failed to provide the petitioner notice and an opportunity to respond. The appellate court remanded the case to ensure compliance with the procedural requirements established in Boyd v. Thompson.
The Ninth Circuit vacated a district court's dismissal of a federal prisoner's habeas petition because the lower court failed to provide notice and an opportunity to respond. The appellate court remanded the case to ensure the petitioner received the procedural protections required under Ninth Circuit precedent.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a federal prisoner's habeas corpus petition challenging his classification as a disruptive group member. The court held that federal courts lack jurisdiction to review the Bureau of Prisons' discretionary determinations under the relevant statute.
The First Circuit affirmed in part and remanded in part the convictions and sentence of a defendant charged with producing, possessing, and receiving child pornography and coercing minors, addressing claims of trial error and double jeopardy.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a habeas corpus petition challenging a Bureau of Prisons calculation of good conduct time credits. The court held that the Bureau of Prisons properly applied statutory guidelines to reduce credits for disciplinary violations even when the inmate was serving a life sentence.
The Tenth Circuit reversed the dismissal of charges against defendants who sold unprocessed poppy seeds coated in opium latex. The court held that extracting opioids from these seeds to make tea constitutes manufacturing a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant convicted of felon possession of ammunition. The court held that while the district court erred in admitting evidence of the defendant's prior conviction, the error was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed a 42-month prison sentence for illegal re-entry, rejecting the defendant's claim that the sentence was substantively unreasonable despite the advisory Guidelines range being significantly lower.
