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 nonfrivolous issues for appellate review.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a conviction for illegal reentry after the defendant raised a constitutional challenge to a recidivism enhancement for the first time on appeal. The court held that the argument was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a former prisoner's civil rights claims against a detective who investigated his murder conviction. The court held that the plaintiff failed to show that the detective violated clearly established law regarding witness identification or that withheld evidence would have changed the trial outcome.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Robert MacLean for abusive sexual contact on a commercial flight. The panel rejected arguments regarding the exclusion of a police report and the denial of a lesser-included offense instruction.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a felon-in-possession conviction, ruling that prior panel precedent forecloses challenges to the federal firearms statute under the Second Amendment and Commerce Clause. The court directed the appellant to seek relief from the en banc court if he disagrees with established circuit law.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a dismissal of a fraud insurance claim where the Office of the Special Deputy Receiver sought coverage for losses caused by hackers who compromised a chief financial officer's email account. The court held that the policy's exclusion for fraudulent instructions sent via electronic mail applied because the emails were sent to the Office, regardless of the sender's identity.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court's denial of a motion to dismiss an indictment challenging the constitutionality of a federal firearm statute. The court held that the defendant's Second Amendment argument was foreclosed by binding circuit precedent.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the judgment in a criminal case involving drug and firearm charges. The court granted counsel's motion to withdraw under Anders v. California after finding no non-frivolous issues for appeal.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the sentence of a defendant convicted of wire and bank fraud involving false Paycheck Protection Program loan applications. The court held that the district court properly included intended loss in its calculation under the relevant conduct guideline.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court order suppressing evidence from a wiretap after finding the affidavit contained reckless misrepresentations about Arizona property tax law. The court held that the government failed to demonstrate that normal investigative procedures were unlikely to succeed.
