Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's refusal to rule on a motion to terminate supervised release while a separate appeal regarding the sentence remained pending in another circuit. The court held that the district court lacked jurisdiction to act on the motion during the pendency of the appeal to ensure judicial economy and fairness.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence found during a traffic stop. The court held that a large spiderweb crack across a vehicle's windshield provided probable cause to stop the driver under South Dakota law.
The Fourth Circuit vacated a defendant's sentence because the district court erred in applying a crime-of-violence enhancement. The court held that a prior Virginia conviction for using a firearm during a robbery did not categorically satisfy the elements clause of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court order imposing a special condition of supervised release requiring mental health treatment. The appellate panel held that the defendant failed to demonstrate plain error because the record contained sufficient basis for the condition.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the sentence of a defendant convicted of drug and gun charges. The court rejected arguments that the sentencing guidelines should treat methamphetamine mixtures differently than pure methamphetamine.
The Third Circuit affirmed the convictions of Kareem Harry despite finding that federal marshals and the district court erroneously excluded his mother and the public from the courtroom during trial. The court held that these errors did not seriously affect the fairness or integrity of the judicial proceedings.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on Marcius Haywood following his guilty plea to a drug offense. The court granted counsel's motion to withdraw after finding no non-frivolous issues for appeal.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed in part and affirmed as modified in part the district court's denial of a federal prisoner's motion for voluntary recusal and his successive habeas motion. The court clarified that while the recusal denial was proper, the lower court should have dismissed the successive motion claims without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Rickey Warren. The court found that the issues raised were moot because the underlying writ of garnishment had been quashed and Warren had already been released from custody.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed nearly a year after the entry of a criminal judgment. The court held that the notice of appeal was untimely under the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.
