Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed Brian Johnson's sex trafficking convictions but reversed his acquittal on child pornography charges. The court vacated the sentence and remanded the case for resentencing consistent with reinstating the child pornography convictions.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed convictions for sex trafficking where fraudulent promises of compensation constituted a thing of value. The court reversed a district court acquittal on child pornography charges, finding sufficient evidence that the defendant knew his victim was underage.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a twelve-month sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm, rejecting the defendant's claim that the sentence was substantively unreasonable. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion by weighing the defendant's mental health issues against his history of firearms offenses.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The plaintiff failed to allege sufficient facts to establish diversity jurisdiction or a federal question.
The Third Circuit affirmed the denial of a Rule sixty-one motion to reopen a habeas petition. The court held that the factors did not demonstrate the extraordinary circumstances required to overturn a longstanding conviction.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by a Wyoming state prisoner. The court held that the petitioner failed to make a substantial showing of a constitutional violation and that federal courts cannot reexamine state court interpretations of state law.
The Eighth Circuit reversed a district court order requiring a defendant to undergo a psychosexual evaluation as part of his prison sentence. The court affirmed the remainder of the thirty-month consecutive sentence, finding no abuse of discretion in the sentencing decision.
The Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a federal prisoner challenging his sentence. The court affirmed the district court's rejection of Second Amendment and retroactivity claims.
The First Circuit affirmed a forty-eight-month sentence for possession of a machinegun, rejecting the appellant's claim that the district court failed to adequately justify an upward variance from the Sentencing Guidelines range.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal after reviewing a motion by appointed counsel to withdraw. The court found that the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issues for appellate review.
