Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentence of a defendant convicted of firearm and drug trafficking offenses. The court held that testimony regarding a confidential informant was not hearsay and that uncharged drug transactions constituted relevant conduct for sentencing.
The Eleventh Circuit granted counsel's motion to withdraw from representing the defendant in a direct criminal appeal. The court affirmed the conviction and sentence after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court order prohibiting a convicted sex trafficker from contacting a victim. The appellate court found no abuse of discretion in the lower court's determination that the defendant's attempts to reach the victim served no legitimate purpose.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of an anesthesiologist who tampered with intravenous bags at a surgical center. The court found the evidence sufficient to support the jury's verdict that the defendant poisoned the bags, causing severe medical complications for multiple patients.
The First Circuit vacated a defendant's enhanced sentence, ruling that his prior Massachusetts carjacking conviction did not qualify as a crime of violence under the federal sentencing guidelines.
The First Circuit affirmed the revocation of supervised release where the defendant received notice of the violations in the probation officer's motion, even though the motion did not explicitly list every specific instance of drug use.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal after the appointed public defender filed a brief asserting the case presented no nonfrivolous issues. The court granted the motion to withdraw and excused counsel from further responsibilities.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Durrell Kevon Haynes due to an insufficiently developed record. The court granted the appointed attorney's motion to withdraw after finding no nonfrivolous issues for appellate review.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a conviction where the defendant challenged the factual basis of his guilty plea. The court found no clear or obvious error in the district court's proceedings.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Sergio Rivera because it was submitted after the deadline. The court held that the time limits for filing the notice of appeal are mandatory claims-processing rules that require dismissal when missed.
