Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to revoke supervised release and impose a 24-month prison sentence. The court held that the defendant failed to prove plain error regarding delays caused by pending state charges or that the sentence was unreasonable.
The Federal Circuit dismissed Dr. Ahmad Aljindi's appeal as frivolous after the Claims Court certified that no appeal would be taken in good faith. The court affirmed the lower court's denial of a Rule 60(b) motion and its anti-filing injunction, leaving the prohibition on future filings without counsel or permission in full force.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Roger Lee Caldwell Jr.'s convictions for child pornography offenses, ruling that any error in admitting hearsay testimony from a detective was harmless. The court held that overwhelming independent evidence, including victim testimony and physical DNA, rendered the disputed statements non-prejudicial to the verdict.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Rosezzettea Lee Lopez's convictions for transporting undocumented individuals for commercial advantage, ruling that recorded messages and admissions provided sufficient evidence of a financial motive. The court also rejected Lopez's constitutional challenges to her arrest and prosecution, holding that these arguments were waived because they were not raised during her trial.
The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from representing Daniel Vega Cabrera after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit in the appeal. Consequently, the court affirmed Cabrera's convictions and sentences without holding oral argument.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment, holding that prison officials are not liable under the Eighth Amendment without proof of subjective knowledge of a specific risk to an inmate. The court clarified that general awareness of gang violence is insufficient to establish deliberate indifference when officials lack actual awareness that their conduct caused a substantial risk of harm.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Koby Don Williams's conviction for attempted online enticement of a minor but vacated his sentence due to a procedural error in applying a sentencing enhancement. The court held that the district court failed to make the specific factual findings required to support an obstruction of justice enhancement based on the defendant's trial testimony.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Bank of America, holding that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act shields financial institutions from liability for good-faith compliance programs based on OFAC guidelines. The court ruled that the liability shield applies to actions permitted by regulatory guidance, not just those strictly compelled by the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed Lennie Perry's conviction, ruling that the district court properly denied his midtrial request for a sixth appointed attorney after he had twice validly waived his right to counsel. The court held that once a defendant knowingly and voluntarily waives the Sixth Amendment right to self-representation, the judge may hold him to that decision without reassessing his motives or the potential for delay.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed this appeal sua sponte because the prisoner's notice of appeal was filed after the statutory deadline. The court found it lacked jurisdiction to review the district court's denial of the habeas motion.
