Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a thirty-three-month prison sentence for a defendant convicted of methamphetamine conspiracy. The court held that the defendant waived his right to be present at resentencing and that prior rulings on drug quantity preclude re-litigation of the issue.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence found during a vehicle search. The court held that the defendant voluntarily consented to further questioning after the traffic stop mission had concluded.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Mesuron Taylor regarding his federal habeas corpus motion. The court found that Taylor failed to make the requisite showing to obtain a certificate of appealability.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment in a federal drug case involving a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The court rejected claims of ineffective assistance of counsel and challenges to the sentencing guidelines calculation.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant convicted of drug trafficking and violating supervised release. The court rejected challenges regarding evidence admission, counsel appointment, sufficiency of evidence, and sentencing reasonableness.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a twenty-four-month prison sentence for methamphetamine trafficking. The court found the sentence procedurally and substantively reasonable despite the defendant's argument for a shorter term.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Stephen Vosilla's supervised release following violations of his release conditions. The court found sufficient evidence that Vosilla failed to register email addresses and possessed internet-capable gaming consoles without approval.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the convictions of a defendant charged with conducting an illegal gambling business. The court held that the district court's jury instructions regarding the required knowledge element were correct and any potential errors were harmless.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to revoke supervised release and impose a thirty-three-month sentence. The appellate court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by weighing the seriousness of the defendant's violations over his mitigating factors.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed in part and affirmed in part the appeal of a defendant convicted of armed bank robbery. The court enforced a broad appellate waiver in the defendant's plea agreement while finding no reversible error regarding the oral pronouncement of supervised release conditions.
