Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Octavious Artis regarding his federal habeas corpus motion. The court denied a certificate of appealability because Artis failed to make a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed consolidated appeals filed by Seth Zachary Owens. The court found no non-frivolous issues to review after Owens's counsel filed a brief under Anders v. California.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed an appeal challenging a seventeen-year prison sentence for discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Appointed counsel filed an Anders brief asserting the appeal was wholly frivolous, and the panel agreed after reviewing the record.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the drug trafficking and firearms convictions of two defendants despite challenges regarding gang-related evidence and jury instructions. The court found the evidence sufficient to prove firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking and deemed any trial errors harmless.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Daniel Conner for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court rejected arguments regarding the withdrawal of his guilty plea, the validity of the indictment, and the application of the Armed Career Criminal Act enhancement.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the drug trafficking and firearms convictions of two defendants despite challenges regarding gang-related evidence and jury instructions. The court found the evidence sufficient to prove firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking and deemed any trial errors harmless.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court order denying a defendant's request to run his federal sentence concurrently with a state sentence. The appellate court held that the district court lacked the legal authority to modify the already-imposed federal sentence under the circumstances presented.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the drug trafficking and firearms convictions of Jerlen Horton and Jacoby Summers. The court found the evidence sufficient to prove firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking and determined that any trial errors were harmless.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a defendant's motions for sentence reduction and compassionate release. The appellate court concluded that the district court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting the requests under the First Step Act.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court's denial of a sentence reduction motion filed by a defendant bound by a plea agreement. The court held that the sentence was not based on the Sentencing Guidelines range because the agreement allowed the defendant to avoid a mandatory life sentence.
