Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed Marcus Guice's appeal after enforcing his plea agreement's appeal waiver. The court found the waiver was knowing, voluntary, and applicable to his challenge regarding a sentencing enhancement.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Dustin Jones's convictions for drug trafficking and felon-in-possession, ruling that his anchored boat qualified as a vehicle under the Fourth Amendment. The court further held that officers had reasonable belief the suspect was inside to justify the arrest warrant execution and that the felon-in-possession statute remains constitutional as applied to non-violent felons.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed Marcus Guice's appeal after enforcing his plea agreement's waiver of appeal rights. The court held that the waiver was knowing and voluntary and its plain language barred Guice's challenge to a specific sentencing enhancement.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Jeffery Lee Fitzhugh's Federal Tort Claims Act lawsuit, ruling that his administrative claim was filed more than two years after the incident and lacked the necessary facts for equitable tolling. The court also upheld the district court's denial of leave to file a second amended complaint because Fitzhugh failed to cure identified deficiencies despite prior opportunities.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal prisoner's motion for compassionate release, finding the district court properly exercised its discretion. The appellate court also issued a stern warning regarding the appellant's submission of fabricated case law and misquotes in his brief.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant accused of sexually abusing a child in Indian country. The court held that excluding polygraph test references from an FBI interview did not violate the defendant's right to present a complete defense.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Vickiel Vincent Vaughn's conviction and sentence for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, ruling that text messages used as evidence were non-testimonial under the Confrontation Clause. The court further held that the district court did not commit plain error by failing to make individualized sentencing findings for a within-Guidelines sentence.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 75-month federal sentence for a bank fraud scheme, rejecting the defendant's challenges to two sentencing enhancements. The court found sufficient evidence that the defendant knowingly used sophisticated means and supervised other participants in the fraud.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a sentence for illegal reentry, ruling that a district court's brief explanation for imposing supervised release was procedurally reasonable. The court held that the judge's engagement with counsel and consideration of the defendant's recidivism provided sufficient context for an individualized assessment.
The First Circuit affirmed Rahim Shafa's convictions for money laundering and drug offenses but vacated his sentence for misdemeanor misbranding due to the District Court's failure to clarify why the fraud guideline applied. The court remanded the case for resentencing on that specific count to resolve ambiguities regarding the acquitted-conduct amendment.
