Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit vacated and remanded a district court order denying a motion for compassionate release. The appellate court held that the lower court failed to provide sufficient reasoning to allow for meaningful review of its decision.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a federal carjacking sentence of ninety-five months. The court held the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing an upward variance from the advisory guidelines.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal by a defendant who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges. The court enforced a sentence-appeal waiver in the defendant's plea agreement, barring his challenge to his guideline range calculation.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a contract dispute between a sales representative and a consumer financing company. The court held that the agreement did not entitle the representative to commissions after the termination of the relationship.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a ninety-two-month prison sentence for possession of an unregistered machinegun conversion device. The court rejected arguments that a prior Florida cocaine conviction did not qualify as a controlled substance offense and that the district court abused its discretion in denying a downward variance.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a twenty-year prison sentence for a defendant convicted of drug trafficking. The court held that the district court properly applied a stash-house enhancement and did not abuse its discretion in sentencing.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant charged with felon possession of a firearm. The court found no plain error regarding surrogate DNA testimony, sufficiency of evidence, and sentencing enhancements under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed an above-Guidelines sentence for a defendant with extensive tribal court convictions. The court found no abuse of discretion in the district court's reliance on the defendant's criminal history to justify the variance.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a sentence reduction for a defendant convicted of international drug trafficking. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in weighing sentencing factors against a reduction under the Sentencing Guidelines.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment in a civil dispute involving defamation, civil extortion, and stock valuation. The appellate panel found no clear error in the lower court's factual findings regarding the parties' economic relationships and damages calculations.
