Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a conviction for illegal reentry after the defendant conceded that his constitutional challenge to the statutory sentencing enhancement was foreclosed by Supreme Court precedent. The court granted the Government's unopposed motion for summary affirmance.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a plaintiff's claims challenging the denial of his U.S. passport applications. The court held that the plaintiff's statutory claims were time-barred and that alternative remedies existed for his administrative and constitutional arguments.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction but remanded the case to correct a clerical error in the written judgment. The court held that the written judgment must align with the district court's oral pronouncement regarding concurrent sentencing.
The Fourth Circuit held that attempted armed bank robbery under Section 2113(d) of Title 18 is categorically a crime of violence under Section 924(c)(3).
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court's revocation of supervised release despite the revocation occurring after the term expired. The court held that jurisdiction was preserved by the timely filing of a petition and issuance of an arrest warrant.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal after appointed counsel filed a motion to withdraw under Anders v. California. The court agreed that the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issues for review.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the sentence of Agustin Ruiz-Vazquez for illegal reentry. The court held that the defendant's constitutional challenge to the statute was foreclosed by binding Supreme Court precedent.
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the conviction of Rayevon Deschambault for sexual exploitation of a minor. The court held that the state search warrant for the defendant's cell phone was sufficiently particular and that the discovery of child sexual exploitation material did not exceed the scope of the warrant.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a father for transporting his minor daughter across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity. The court clarified that the statute requires proof of intent, not a dominant purpose, and held that unchallenged family testimony sufficed to prove the defendant was a non-Indian.
The Fifth Circuit reversed a dismissal of a Federal Tort Claims Act lawsuit alleging a probation officer's negligence in protecting a victim from a supervised release violator. The court held that the officer's failure to act was a distinct operational task separate from the misrepresentation exception.
