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Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause

Every decision we've filed under Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause.

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Civil 3399 Criminal 1956 Summary Judgment 806 Sentencing Guidelines 718 Civil Rights - Section 1983 647 Immigration (Civil) 646 Constitutional 536 Supervised Release 473 Drug Trafficking 443 Civil Rights - Employment 367 Firearms 319 Qualified Immunity 251
Apr 28 2026
11th Cir. 3:23-cr-00064-TKW-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Beck

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the drug conspiracy and possession convictions of Philip Beck, Florence Beck, and Joshua Martinez, rejecting challenges to the admission of evidence and sentencing determinations. The court held that inconsistencies in Florence Beck's post-arrest statements were credibility issues for the jury, not grounds for reversal, and that the district court properly applied Rule 404(b) and safety-valve standards.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Mandatory Minimum Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Apr 22 2026
9th Cir. 4:22-cv-00057-REP Unpublished

STANFIELD V. CLEMENT

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of Katherine Lea Stanfield's federal habeas petition, ruling that the Idaho Supreme Court did not unreasonably apply federal law when admitting expert testimony about a technician's statements. The court held that the Confrontation Clause was not violated because the testifying expert had personal knowledge of the evidence's accuracy and the technician's labeling served a laboratory purpose rather than a trial purpose.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Apr 20 2026
11th Cir. 1:18-cr-00392-AT-JKL-2 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. AMOS CHRISTOLIN

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Amos Christolin's drug trafficking convictions, rejecting his claim that his ambiguous statement in Haitian Creole constituted an unequivocal invocation of his right to remain silent. The court further held that the district court's admission of an agent's translations did not violate the Confrontation Clause under plain error review.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Fifth Amendment - Self-Incrimination Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Apr 16 2026
9th Cir. 3:17-cr-00291-MO-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HENRY KONAH KOFFIE

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Henry Konah Koffie's drug trafficking convictions, ruling that constitutional errors at trial were harmless due to overwhelming independent evidence of guilt. The court addressed issues involving the Confrontation Clause, Fourth Amendment suppression, and the denial of a Franks hearing.

Constitutional Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Apr 15 2026
6th Cir. 24-5626 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JORGE FLORES (24-5610); KEVIN TIDWELL (24-5626); JOSE PINEDA-CACERES

The Sixth Circuit affirmed RICO and VICAR convictions for three MS-13 members, rejecting challenges to a protective sweep, jury selection, and expert testimony. The court held that the evidence sufficiently supported the gang-related murder conspiracy charges and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in its evidentiary rulings.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Apr 14 2026
4th Cir. 24-4620 Panel Decision

United States v. Russell

The Fourth Circuit affirmed Trent Russell's conviction for wrongfully obtaining health information and destroying records, rejecting claims that his interview was coerced and that the evidence was insufficient. The court held that the screenshot of Justice Ginsburg's medical visits constituted protected health information and that the district court properly limited cross-examination without violating the Confrontation Clause.

Constitutional Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Apr 2 2026
10th Cir. 23-3175 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. EBUBE OTUONYE

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's partial denial of a habeas motion, holding that ineffective assistance of counsel regarding jury instructions on controlled substances did not prejudice a defendant's separate healthcare fraud convictions. The court reasoned that the fraud charges relied on distinct evidence and legal elements unrelated to the intent required for distributing controlled substances.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Mar 30 2026
7th Cir. 24-3346 Panel Decision

MAURICE J. HOLT v. GARY BOUGHTON

The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reasonably applied federal standards in rejecting a defendant's claims regarding excluded evidence and ineffective assistance of counsel. The appellate court found that the state court's decision was not an unreasonable application of Supreme Court precedent under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Mar 30 2026
1st Cir. 25-1157 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES v. AIZAVIER ROACHE

The First Circuit affirmed a fifty-seven-month sentence for conspiracy to traffic firearms, rejecting the appellant's argument that the district court erred by applying a sentencing enhancement based on a co-conspirator's out-of-court statements. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in determining the reliability of the co-conspirator's testimony regarding the defendant's role in the scheme.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause Supervised Release
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Mar 27 2026
10th Cir. 4:21-CR-00489-JFH-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CREGG LENARD GAINES

The Tenth Circuit affirmed a supervised release revocation, ruling that any constitutional error in admitting a witness's video statement was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The court held that the district court would have reached the same conclusion based on independent evidence, including the victim's identification and the defendant's own admissions.

Criminal Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause Supervised Release
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