Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 24-month upward variance sentence imposed for federal probation violations involving child pornography. The court held that although the district court failed to explicitly state the reasons for the variance in open court, the record was sufficiently clear to prevent reversible error.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's amended complaint as a shotgun pleading that failed to comply with federal civil procedure rules. The court also upheld the district court's denial of the plaintiff's motion for appointed counsel, finding no exceptional circumstances existed to warrant it.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Desean Williams's conviction because his claim of a conflict of interest regarding his plea agreement's appellate waiver was raised for the first time on direct appeal. The court held that resolving the factual predicate of this claim would require acting as a fact-finder, a role it cannot perform without a record developed in the district court.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal sua sponte because the district court's orders were not final judgments. The court held that the orders granting an extension of time and denying a motion to disqualify counsel were not immediately appealable under the collateral order doctrine.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an inmate's second amended complaint for maliciousness and abuse of the judicial process under the PLRA. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion after the plaintiff failed to disclose his litigation history despite explicit warnings.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit granted the government's motion to dismiss an appeal based on a waiver in the defendant's plea agreement. The court enforced the waiver, noting that it was made knowingly and voluntarily.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed Steven James Kelly's criminal appeal because his notice of appeal was filed well past the 14-day deadline mandated by the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. Even applying the prison mailbox rule to calculate the filing date, the appeal remained untimely and ineligible for an extension of time.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal sua sponte because the district court's orders were interlocutory and not final judgments. The court held that the challenged rulings were not immediately appealable under the collateral order doctrine as they could be reviewed after a final judgment.
The Eleventh Circuit granted a motion by appointed counsel to withdraw from representing the defendant in a direct criminal appeal. The court affirmed the defendant's convictions and sentence after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 240-month sentence for a defendant who orchestrated a $200 million Ponzi scheme, rejecting claims of sentencing guideline miscalculation and substantive unreasonableness. The court held that any potential error in applying victim enhancements was harmless because the statutory maximum sentence remained the same regardless.