Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a defendant's sentence, ruling that supervised release conditions requiring full-time employment, polygraph testing, and no contact with minors were not substantively unreasonable. The court clarified that such conditions need only be reasonably related to statutory factors rather than supported by each factor individually.
The First Circuit affirmed the federal convictions of three defendants for RICO and drug conspiracy, rejecting challenges to the admission of hearsay statements made by coconspirators. The court held that the district court properly found the statements were made during and in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that any error in their admission was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
The First Circuit affirms the federal convictions of three defendants for RICO and drug conspiracy, rejecting their challenges to the admission of hearsay statements made by coconspirators. The court holds that the District Court properly found the statements were made during and in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that any error in their admission was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus or habeas corpus filed by Raj T. Patel. The court held that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction over habeas matters and review of state court decisions.
The First Circuit affirms federal RICO and drug conspiracy convictions for three defendants, rejecting challenges to the admission of hearsay statements made by coconspirators. The court holds that the District Court properly found the statements were made during and in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that any error in their admission was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt.
The Federal Circuit granted the United States' motion for summary affirmance, upholding the dismissal of Lisa Ann Deweese's complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The court held that the plaintiff failed to state a non-frivolous claim against the federal government because her allegations targeted state-level Child Protective Services agencies.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Anthony Brown's supervised release after finding he committed assault and violated a no-contact order. The court upheld the district court's 11-month prison sentence, concluding the government met its burden of proof under the applicable legal standards.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Alex Barraza's conviction and sentence, ruling that the district court correctly found him competent to plead guilty and stand trial. The court also upheld the denial of his motion to withdraw his guilty plea and dismissed his remaining claims as barred by his valid waiver of appeal.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed Jimmy Clyde Timberlake's conviction and 180-month sentence for felon in possession of a firearm and drug trafficking offenses. The court rejected challenges regarding the admission of a non-testifying witness's statement and the use of a prior drug-trafficking conviction, finding no reversible error in the district court's proceedings.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of Arturo Solis's motion for a sentence reduction because his criminal history score remained unchanged under Amendment 821. The court held that challenges to the original conviction and arguments regarding sentencing factors were not cognizable or necessary given his ineligibility.
