Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a thirty-six-month sentence for illegal reentry after the appellant conceded his constitutional challenge was foreclosed by Supreme Court precedent. The court granted the government's motion for summary affirmance, rejecting the argument that the sentencing enhancement is unconstitutional.
The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court injunction that had blocked Illinois from enforcing its ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. The appellate court held that these restrictions are consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation under the Second Amendment.
The First Circuit affirmed a district court order suppressing evidence obtained from a smartphone seized during a search warrant execution. The court held that federal agents lacked objective good faith when they searched an iPhone model different from the one specified in the warrant despite knowing the discrepancy at the time of seizure.
The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court injunction that had blocked Illinois from enforcing its ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. The appellate court held that these restrictions are consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation under the Second Amendment.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in crediting police testimony regarding the traffic stop that led to the discovery of the firearm.
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 appellate review.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to withdraw a guilty plea involving child sexual abuse and pornography offenses. The court found no abuse of discretion in the district court's decision to deny the motion without an evidentiary hearing.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a twenty-four-month sentence for illegal reentry, rejecting the defendant's claim that the above-guidelines term was substantively unreasonable. The court held that the district court properly justified the upward variance based on the defendant's criminal history and other statutory factors.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a one hundred month prison sentence for a defendant convicted of illegal re-entry and drug offenses. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by imposing an above-Guidelines sentence based on the defendant's pre-sentencing disciplinary conduct.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Frank Marrupe's conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon but vacated his sentence. The court remanded the case for resentencing because the district court failed to consider federal sentencing guidelines regarding concurrent sentences.
