Topic
Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Lamar Prilliman. The court found the petition moot because the district court had recently issued a ruling on the underlying habeas corpus petition and motion to expedite.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal habeas corpus petition filed by an Arizona death row prisoner. The court held that the prisoner procedurally defaulted most of his ineffective assistance of counsel claims and failed to show cause and prejudice to excuse those defaults.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a challenge to federal firearm purchase requirements. The court held that requiring non-citizens to provide an alien registration number on Form 4473 does not violate the Second Amendment or related statutes.
The Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a state prisoner challenging the timeliness of his habeas petition. The court affirmed the district court's dismissal, finding the prisoner failed to meet the requirements for equitable tolling or the firm-waiver exception.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and dismissed in part Christopher William Bounds's appeal from the denial of his motion to vacate his sentence. The court held that trial counsel did not violate Bounds's Sixth Amendment rights and that the district court properly denied an evidentiary hearing.
The Tenth Circuit vacated the dismissal of a state prisoner's habeas petition filed beyond the statutory deadline. The court remanded the case for the district court to address two unresolved timeliness issues.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a conviction for possession of methamphetamine, ruling that the district court did not clearly err in finding reasonable suspicion for a traffic stop. The court further held that a drug dog sniff did not unlawfully prolong the stop because the K-9 unit arrived before the officer completed his investigation.
The First Circuit affirmed a 207-month prison sentence for a defendant convicted of multiple robberies and carjackings. The court held that the district court did not plainly err in imposing an upward variance despite the vacatur of one predicate offense.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se civil rights complaint filed by a federal prisoner. The court held that the plaintiff's claims were barred by the Heck doctrine because a favorable judgment would imply the invalidity of his underlying criminal conviction.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a writ of error coram nobis filed by a federal prisoner challenging his conviction for transmitting threats. The court held that the petitioner's claim was barred because the same legal issue had already been resolved during his prior habeas proceedings.