Background
The defendant, Taboris Ladale Mock, filed an appeal from a judgment in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. The Government moved to dismiss the appeal based on an appeal waiver included in Mock’s plea agreement.
The court’s reasoning
The court held that the appeal waiver in the plea agreement must be enforced if it was made knowingly and voluntarily. The court noted that such a waiver includes the right to appeal difficult or debatable legal issues or even blatant error.
The Government’s motion to dismiss this appeal pursuant to the appeal waiver in Appellant’s plea agreement is GRANTED.
United States v. Mock, No. 25-12321 (11th Cir. Mar. 24, 2026)
What it means going forward
Defendants who sign plea agreements containing appeal waivers may be barred from appealing their convictions or sentences, even for legal errors, provided the waiver was entered into knowingly and voluntarily.