Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Rose Garcia after reviewing a motion by her appointed counsel to withdraw. The court found that the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issues for appellate review.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in a bad faith insurance claim. The court held that the insurer acted reasonably in settling other claims to minimize excess liability exposure.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by David Lozano-Cardenas due to a lack of jurisdiction. The court found that the district court had not entered a final order regarding a sentence reduction that could be appealed.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict finding that a commercial tenant and its newly formed subsidiary were alter egos engaged in a fraudulent conveyance to evade lease obligations. The court held that the subsidiary was not a bona fide third party and that the assignment violated the lease agreement and Maryland law.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a felon-in-possession sentence where the district court applied a sentencing enhancement for using a firearm in connection with drug trafficking. The court held that the factual finding of a connection between the firearm and drug sales was not clearly erroneous.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a twenty-four-month prison sentence imposed upon revocation of supervised release. The court held that the district court did not commit plain error by failing to provide a specific oral justification for an upward variance and did not abuse its discretion in imposing a substantively unreasonable sentence.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's sentence for illegal reentry and the consecutive term of supervised release. The court found no plain error in the district court's explanation of its sentencing decision.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on Edgar Julian Antunez-Perez for illegal reentry and the consecutive term following supervised release revocation. The court found no plain error in the district court's explanation for consecutive sentences or its imposition of supervised release on a deportable alien.
The First Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to reduce a life sentence under the First Step Act. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in weighing the defendant's heinous criminal record against his rehabilitative efforts.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant who pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. The court rejected the defendant's arguments regarding sentencing guidelines and constitutional challenges to the statute.
