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The Sixth Circuit affirmed a 131-month sentence for drug trafficking, ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing an upward variance. The court held that the judge properly considered the defendant's extensive uncharged criminal history and recent jail violence under the statutory sentencing factors.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed Matthew Keirans's 144-month prison sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court abused its discretion by weighing the unique harm of his identity theft. The court held that the lower court properly imposed special conditions of supervised release based on Keirans's decades-long pattern of deception and history of mental health and substance abuse issues.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Joisade Wilford's conviction for using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, rejecting her challenges to the validity of her guilty plea. The court held that a misstatement of an element during the plea colloquy did not constitute plain error and that her claims of involuntariness and actual innocence were barred by her plea agreement and the nature of direct appeal.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Brian Keith Mays's sentence, rejecting his claim that denying a sentencing reduction for acceptance of responsibility violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. The court held that the Sentencing Guidelines do not impermissibly penalize defendants for exercising trial rights when those defendants fail to demonstrate genuine remorse.
The Ninth Circuit granted the United States' motion for an injunction pending appeal, temporarily barring California from enforcing its identification requirement for federal law enforcement officers. The court held that the state statute likely violates the Supremacy Clause because it directly regulates the federal government in the performance of its governmental functions.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Maurice Lacey's conviction for firearm possession, ruling that the district court did not clearly err in finding him mentally competent to stand trial. The appellate court determined that a second psychological evaluation, which found the defendant alert and knowledgeable, outweighed conflicting evidence regarding his delusions.
The Federal Circuit dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus because the underlying employment discrimination case does not fall within its limited statutory jurisdiction. The court ordered the immediate transfer of the petition to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which has proper appellate authority over the Northern District of Georgia.
The Federal Circuit ordered the transfer of this appeal from the Merit Systems Protection Board to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The court determined that the District Court, not the Federal Circuit, possesses the correct subject matter jurisdiction over this dispute.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction against an Indiana law restricting human sexuality instruction in early elementary grades. The court held that the statute is not unconstitutionally overbroad or vague because it targets official teacher speech and contains an ascertainable core of meaning.
The Seventh Circuit granted Indiana's emergency motion to stay a district court injunction that had barred enforcement of Senate Bill 10. Applying the Purcell principle, the court held that federal courts should generally avoid altering election rules on the eve of an election to prevent voter confusion and administrative chaos.
