Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion to withdraw counsel and dismissed an appeal. The court found that the appointed attorney's Anders brief correctly identified no nonfrivolous issues for review.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant charged with transporting an illegal alien. The court held that the totality of the circumstances supported the Border Patrol agent's reasonable suspicion to stop the vehicle.
The Fifth Circuit reversed a district court ruling that denied a police officer's motion to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit. The court held that the officer was entitled to qualified immunity after fatally shooting a fleeing suspect who was armed with a handgun.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a sentence for enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. The court held that the district court did not commit plain error by allowing counsel to withdraw objections to the presentence report.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal challenging a conviction for assaulting federal officers. The court held that the defendant waived the challenge to his conviction by limiting his appeal to his sentence.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court order granting an unconditional writ of habeas corpus to David Smith. The court held that the state failed to comply with a prior conditional writ by utilizing the victim's identification of Smith during his retrial.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress methamphetamine found during a pat-down search. The court vacated the defendant's sentence and remanded the case for resentencing due to an erroneous application of the career-offender enhancement.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a civil rights action brought by a pro se appellant challenging a probation revocation. The court held that the named defendants were protected by absolute immunity and that the appellant failed to adequately brief his claims.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a drug and firearm conviction where the district court applied a sentencing enhancement for maintaining a premises for distribution. The court held that the evidence supported the enhancement despite minor factual inaccuracies in the district court's reasoning.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a sentence of one hundred eighty months in prison for a defendant convicted of receiving and distributing child pornography. The court rejected arguments regarding a sentencing enhancement and the substantive reasonableness of the term.
