Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion to withdraw counsel and dismissed an appeal filed by Hector Castillo-Molina. The court concurred with the appointed attorney's assessment that the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issues for review.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion by appointed counsel to withdraw from representing the defendant. The court dismissed the appeal after finding no nonfrivolous issues for review.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 200-month sentence for a firearms conviction, ruling that while the district court erred by determining the 'different occasions' of prior felonies without a jury, the mistake was harmless. The court held that the defendant would have waived his right to a jury and admitted the prior offenses occurred on separate occasions had he been properly advised during his guilty plea.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court order denying attorney's fees and damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's refusal to enforce a settlement agreement provision.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Xavier Holley's 40-year sentence for a failed pawn shop robbery that resulted in a clerk's death. The court rejected Holley's challenges regarding sentencing guidelines grouping, consecutive sentence authority, and ineffective assistance of counsel.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Preston Mills' supervised release but vacated his sentence as plainly unreasonable. The court held that the district court failed to address a non-frivolous mitigation argument regarding the extended time Mills spent under supervision.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Robert Charles Kay's conviction for possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. The court held that the warrantless search of Kay's vehicle was constitutional under the plain view doctrine and the automobile exception to the Fourth Amendment.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court order allowing the involuntary administration of antipsychotic medication to a defendant found incompetent to stand trial. The court held that the government met its burden under the Sell standard by showing that medication was medically appropriate and necessary to restore the defendant's competency.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a sentence of eighty-seven months for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also remanded the case to correct a clerical error in the judgment that incorrectly cited the Armed Career Criminal Act.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed Wilfredo Moreno Ferrer's appeal as moot because he completed his term of imprisonment. The court held that without a live sentence to reduce, there is no continuing injury to support Article III jurisdiction.
