Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Seventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw and dismissed Kendall Guyton's appeal after determining the case was frivolous under Anders v. California. The court found no non-frivolous grounds to challenge Guyton's sex trafficking conviction or his 324-month sentence.
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Joseph Pilchesky's federal lawsuit challenging his state conviction for the unauthorized practice of law. The court held that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine barred federal review because Pilchesky was essentially asking a federal court to reject a final state court judgment.
The First Circuit affirmed a district court's ruling in a civil securities enforcement action against five defendants who participated in a decade-long pump-and-dump scheme. The court upheld the defendants' liability and disgorgement orders while vacating one specific injunction against defendant Paul Sexton for being overly vague.
The First Circuit affirmed a district court's judgment against five defendants who participated in a decade-long pump-and-dump scheme involving cheap stocks and misleading hype. The court upheld the SEC's civil enforcement action, finding the defendants liable for disgorging millions in ill-gotten gains while concealing their ownership and involvement.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a motion to file a discovery request in a closed criminal case, ruling that the lower court did not abuse its discretion in managing its docket. The court also denied the appellant's motions for appointment of counsel and a certificate of appealability, clarifying that the latter is unnecessary for this specific type of interlocutory appeal.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Yang Shao's bankruptcy petition, ruling that her repeated filings across multiple jurisdictions constituted a bad-faith scheme to defraud creditors. The court upheld the lower courts' findings that Shao violated filing restrictions and engaged in fraudulent asset transfers to evade foreclosure.
The Seventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw, finding the defendant's appeal regarding the revocation of his supervised release to be frivolous. The court affirmed the district court's decision because the defendant waived key objections and the evidence supported the finding of domestic battery.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on Rosco Demar Lewis for drug offenses after an independent review found no non-frivolous issues to support his appeal. The court granted counsel's motion to withdraw under Anders v. California, concluding the district court did not abuse its discretion.
The First Circuit affirmed Keion Rowell's conviction for sex trafficking of a minor, rejecting his Fourth Amendment challenge to a warrantless police entry. The court also dismissed claims regarding courtroom sealing, evidence admission, and alternate jurors, finding no reversible error in any instance.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to vacate a 2008 FOIA judgment, ruling that the movant failed to prove fraud on the court by clear and convincing evidence. The court also upheld the lower court's decision to treat the motion as untimely under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(3).
