Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
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 non-frivolous issues for review.
The Fifth Circuit vacated one supervised release condition and remanded the case to correct a clerical omission in the written judgment. The court affirmed the remaining conditions, ruling that the sentencing court's intent was clear despite ambiguities in the oral pronouncement.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Darrick Bell, who operated a drug and sex trafficking enterprise from a Detroit motel.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence seized during a traffic stop. The court held that officers had reasonable suspicion to prolong the stop for a canine sniff based on the collective knowledge of prior drug investigations.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a defendant waived his right to court-appointed counsel through persistent refusal to cooperate. The court held that the defendant's disruptive conduct and unreasonable demands for new attorneys constituted a valid waiver of his Sixth Amendment rights.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a 365-month sentence for a defendant convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in applying an obstruction of justice enhancement based on the defendant's statement to a co-defendant.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Scott James Berkshire after the government moved to enforce an appeal waiver. The court held that Berkshire failed to demonstrate that enforcing the waiver would result in a miscarriage of justice.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion for compassionate release. The panel held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying relief based on sentencing factors alone without addressing extraordinary and compelling reasons.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a defendant who pled guilty to federal robbery and firearms charges. The court granted counsel's motion to withdraw after finding no non-frivolous grounds for reversal.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court held that the defendant's Second Amendment challenge to the federal statute is foreclosed by existing precedent.
