Topic
Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of a new trial motion but vacated a sentence enhanced based on the defendant's status as a police officer. The court held that professional status is not a valid statutory factor for upward sentencing adjustments under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a).
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal prisoner's motion for compassionate release, ruling that challenges to sentencing guideline calculations must be brought via habeas corpus rather than compassionate release proceedings. The court held that the defendant's argument effectively attacked the validity of his plea agreement and sentence, which falls outside the scope of 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's application of Younger abstention for most claims while the plaintiffs had ongoing state proceedings, but reversed the dismissal of specific First Amendment retaliation claims. The court remanded the retaliation claims for adjudication because they were sufficiently separable from the state enforcement actions and did not pose a risk of enjoining those proceedings.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's application of Younger abstention for most claims but reversed the dismissal of a First Amendment retaliation claim. The court held that while ongoing state proceedings generally preclude federal intervention, the unique nature of the retaliation injury created an exceptional circumstance allowing the federal case to proceed on that specific issue.
The Fourth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed Edward Moore, Jr.'s appeal from his § 2255 denial because he failed to make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the district court's assessment debatable or wrong. The court independently reviewed the record and found no constitutional error warranting further review, leaving the district court's denial of relief in place.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of habeas relief, holding that the petitioner failed to demonstrate cause and prejudice to overcome the procedural default of his due process claim. Consequently, the court found the underlying sufficiency of the evidence claim unreviewable, leaving the conviction and sentence in effect.
The Tenth Circuit denied Scott William Wyban a certificate of appealability, ruling that his ineffective assistance of counsel claims lacked substantial grounds for relief. The court affirmed the district court's denial of his habeas petition, finding that trial counsel's strategic decisions were within the wide range of professionally competent assistance.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of federal habeas relief, holding that the petitioner failed to demonstrate cause and prejudice to overcome the procedural default of his sufficiency-of-evidence claim. The court further ruled that the district court correctly lacked jurisdiction to consider a Rule 60(b) motion after the petitioner had filed a notice of appeal.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of habeas relief, holding that the petitioner failed to demonstrate the cause and prejudice necessary to overcome a procedural default. The court further ruled that the district court correctly lacked jurisdiction over a post-appeal Rule 60(b) motion once a notice of appeal was filed.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment and denial of a motion to stay in a civil rights and employment dispute involving a former police chief. The appellate court held that the appellant failed to challenge material facts or the lower court's reasoning, rendering the appeal frivolous under the summary affirmance standard.