Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that an insurance policy did not cover a fatal car accident involving a high school basketball team. The court held that a school email asking parents to coordinate rides did not constitute a formal request for parents to drive their own children.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on a defendant convicted of illegal reentry. The court held that the defendant's constitutional challenge to the statutory sentencing enhancement was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment regarding a supervised release revocation sentence. The appellate court found no plain error in the district court's explanation of the imposed sentence.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a within-guidelines sentence of one hundred eighty months imposed on a defendant convicted of methamphetamine distribution. The court held that the defendant failed to demonstrate that the district court committed a clear error of judgment in balancing sentencing factors.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to order a federal sentence to run consecutively to an anticipated state sentence. The court held that federal judges retain discretion to make this determination regardless of whether the defendant is currently in state or federal custody.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant challenging the constitutionality of a sentencing enhancement for illegal reentry. The court held that the defendant's argument was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent regarding prior convictions.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of four defendants involved in a Kansas City drug-trafficking conspiracy. The court rejected challenges to search warrants, wiretaps, and the admission of rap lyrics as evidence of the group's criminal activities.
The Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a state prisoner challenging the denial of a resentencing request under Oklahoma law. The court held that habeas relief is unavailable when the error involves only post-conviction procedures rather than the imposition of the conviction or sentence.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the sentence imposed on Anthony Dean Essing after he pleaded guilty to a drug offense. The court granted counsel's motion to withdraw under Anders v. California, finding no non-frivolous issues for appeal.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that denied a defendant's request to present a duress defense in an unlawful reentry prosecution. The court held that the defendant failed to provide sufficient evidence that the threat of harm he faced was immediate.
