Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Brandon Oliver's conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, rejecting his Second Amendment challenge to the federal statute. The court held that longstanding prohibitions on felons possessing firearms remain presumptively lawful under the Second Amendment despite recent Supreme Court rulings.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued an opinion in the case of United States v. Michael Hunt, Jr. Judgment has been entered in accordance with the court's opinion.
The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from representing LaRonce Howell in a direct criminal appeal. The court affirmed the defendant's conviction and sentence after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued an opinion in this criminal appeal. Judgment has been entered in accordance with the court's decision.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a Rule sixty motion filed by a pro se plaintiff. The court held the appeal was patently frivolous and bound by the law of the case doctrine.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued an opinion in the case of United States versus Samuel McElmeel. Judgment has been entered in accordance with the court's decision.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 36-month prison sentence for a supervised release violation, rejecting the defendant's claim that the sentence was substantively unreasonable. The court held that the district court properly weighed the severity of the defendant's drug violations and his lack of candor regarding his treatment plan.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 600-month sentence for child pornography production and distribution, rejecting the defendant's claim that the district court failed to weigh his voluntary cessation of conduct. The court held that the permanence of the images and the need for deterrence justified the sentence within the Guidelines range.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Leiloni Blake Smith's conviction for sexual abuse and exploitation of her minor children, ruling that alleged evidentiary errors and prosecutorial misconduct did not prejudice her duress defense. The court held that the overwhelming video evidence of the abuse rendered any trial errors harmless under both the plain error and harmless error standards.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Mackenzie Becker's convictions for firearms and drug offenses, rejecting his argument that the search warrant affidavit failed to establish probable cause linking a road-rage incident to his residence. The court also dismissed Becker's Second Amendment challenge as foreclosed by existing Tenth Circuit precedent.
