Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court's denial of a motion to modify supervised release conditions that prohibited a defendant with a history of alcohol abuse from consuming any alcohol. The court held that a complete ban was the least restrictive means to serve the government's compelling interest in public safety and the defendant's rehabilitation.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a within-Guidelines sentence for a defendant convicted of firearm offenses. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in applying a sentencing enhancement for inducing a prohibited person to receive firearms.
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit dismissed a Second Amendment challenge because the plaintiff lacked standing while a protective order barred firearm possession. The court also affirmed the dismissal of a damages claim against a police chief based on qualified immunity.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a federal drug trafficking sentence after finding no procedural error in the district court's application of a role enhancement. The court held that evidence supported the finding that the defendant supervised a co-conspirator, satisfying the requirements for a three-level increase under the sentencing guidelines.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Toochukwu Michael Okorie for conspiracy to commit money laundering. The court rejected Okorie's challenges regarding venue, evidence of prior convictions, jury instructions, and the reasonableness of his sentence.
The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from representing Kenney Lee Watson on appeal. The court affirmed Watson's conviction and sentence after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a defendant's sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act following a remand from the Supreme Court. The court held that the defendant failed to meet his burden of proving that a jury would have found fewer than three qualifying prior convictions.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant convicted of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court rejected the defendant's Second Amendment challenge and found no abuse of discretion in the sentencing decision.
The Eleventh Circuit held that a federal prisoner's motion to vacate a sentence is not second or successive when it challenges a new judgment entered after a prior habeas petition. The court vacated the district court's dismissal and remanded the case for further proceedings.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a whistleblower's complaint challenging the Attorney General's determination that her declaration was invalid. The court held that the Financial Institutions Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act of nineteen ninety explicitly bars judicial review of the Attorney General's actions regarding whistleblower declarations.
