Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Pakuja Crystal Vang's pro se civil action as frivolous but modified the order to allow amendment of claims against non-government defendants. The court held that Vang forfeited appellate review of the dismissal reasons by failing to challenge them in her informal brief.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Gregory Largent's supervised release and his 18-month prison sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court erred by modifying a contact condition without a separate hearing. The court held that Largent failed to demonstrate plain error, as he had counsel and an opportunity to present evidence during the proceeding.
The Fourth Circuit vacated a district court dismissal of a pro se excessive force complaint, ruling that the lower court applied an overly strict pleading standard and failed to include a second officer as a defendant. The appellate court held that the plaintiff's allegations, accepted as true, sufficiently stated a plausible claim under the Fourth Amendment's reasonableness test.
The Fourth Circuit vacated a district court dismissal of a federal prisoner's habeas petition regarding First Step Act time credits. The appellate court held that factual disputes over the prisoner's pre-transfer program participation required discovery and a government response before dismissal.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court protective order prohibiting defendants from disclosing the identities of Afghan plaintiffs who aided U.S. efforts. The court held that while the order is a content-based prior restraint, it satisfies strict scrutiny by serving the compelling government interest in national security.
The Fourth Circuit denied a petition for panel rehearing in a First Step Act time credit dispute, upholding the original ruling that denied sentence credits. The majority rejected the petitioner's new claim of participation in psychological programming as inconsistent with his prior litigation positions and insufficient to meet statutory requirements.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 96-month sentence for a felon in possession of ammunition, ruling that any error in applying a sentencing enhancement was harmless. The court held that the district court would have imposed the same sentence based on statutory factors regardless of the disputed Guidelines calculation.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a criminal judgment where the district court imposed an Armed Career Criminal Act enhanced sentence. The court held that while a plain error occurred regarding the different occasions element, the defendant failed to show it affected his substantial rights.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Dustin Wilson's conviction, ruling that his trial counsel's decision to advocate for medical treatment rather than pre-trial release was objectively reasonable. The court found no evidence that Wilson's medical condition would have secured his release or that his guilty plea was the result of ineffective assistance.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a defendant's resentencing, rejecting her claim that the increased sentence resulted from judicial vindictiveness. The court held that because a different judge imposed the new sentence, the presumption of retaliatory motivation does not apply, and the defendant failed to prove actual animus.