United States of America v. Israel Noe Juarez-Velasquez
July 7, 2026·26-10111·Per Curiam·By James Taylor
The Fifth Circuit granted a motion to reform a judgment by striking a statutory reference. The court affirmed the sentence after determining that the defendant's constitutional challenge was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent.
The defendant appealed a sentence from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The case involved a challenge to the constitutionality of the sentence imposed under immigration and criminal statutes.
The court’s reasoning
The court held that the Appellant’s challenge to the constitutionality of his sentence is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States. Consequently, the court affirmed the sentence as modified after striking the reference to the specific statute.
What it means going forward
The judgment was modified to remove a specific statutory reference, and the underlying sentence was affirmed without further constitutional review.
