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Criminal

Every decision we've filed under Criminal.

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Civil 2101 Summary Judgment 471 Sentencing Guidelines 419 Civil Rights - Section 1983 399 Immigration (Civil) 358 Constitutional 353 Supervised Release 289 Drug Trafficking 275 Firearms 215 Civil Rights - Employment 205 Intellectual Property 160 Qualified Immunity 153
Mar 3 2026
10th Cir. 4:24-CR-00051-SEH-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MARCO DIONTE ATKINS

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Marco Atkins' convictions for assault and firearm offenses, ruling that any error in admitting a government agent's testimony about security footage did not affect the outcome of the trial. The court held that the evidence of guilt was so substantial that the jury would have convicted Atkins regardless of the agent's statements.

Criminal Firearms
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Mar 3 2026
10th Cir. 6:24-CV-00146-JAR Panel Decision

AMBER STEPP and JONATHON STEPP v. JASON LOCKHART; SCOTTIE RUSSELL; STEVE WOODS; LESLIE CRANK; RUSTY BLUE; COURTNEY MORELAND; KATHY ANDERSON; BILL BLAIR; TRACY BRYANT individuals...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed that school officials violated the Equal Protection Clause by enforcing a sex-segregation policy in an elementary school and retaliated against parents who complained. However, the court reversed the denial of qualified immunity for the teacher regarding substantive due process claims and dismissed procedural due process claims against supervisors for lack of personal participation.

Criminal Qualified Immunity Sex Offenses
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Mar 3 2026
10th Cir. 2:20-CR-00284-TS-3) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. NELLY IDOWU

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Nelly Idowu's conviction and sentence, rejecting her claim that the district court misapplied sentencing guidelines for money laundering. The court held that because Idowu failed to object to the guideline calculation at sentencing, she could only succeed by showing plain error, which she could not establish.

Criminal Fraud Money Laundering Plain Error Review
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Mar 2 2026
6th Cir. 25-1604 Published

United States v. Robledo

The Sixth Circuit affirmed a 37-month prison sentence for drug possession with intent to distribute, rejecting the defendant's claim that the district court improperly prioritized Sentencing Guidelines over statutory factors. The court held that the district judge conducted a thorough review of the defendant's history and the nature of the offense, finding no abuse of discretion.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Mar 2 2026
6th Cir. 24-5953 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. RIHANNA BUDDI

The Sixth Circuit reversed a defendant's Tier II sex offender classification under SORNA, holding that her underlying Florida conviction did not meet the federal mens rea requirements for heightened tier status. The court also vacated a twenty-year supervised release sentence, finding the district court procedurally erred by miscalculating the applicable sentencing guidelines.

Criminal Firearms Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines
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Mar 2 2026
11th Cir. 1:14-cr-20210-MGC-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MIKEL MIMS

The Eleventh Circuit held that a federal district court retains ancillary jurisdiction to enforce unsatisfied restitution obligations in a criminal case even after a defendant completes her probationary sentence. The court affirmed the lower court's order requiring the defendant to resume payments, rejecting arguments that the case closure or probation expiration divested the court of authority.

Criminal Fraud
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Feb 27 2026
3rd Cir. 23-3258 Panel Decision

Nos. 23-3258 & 26-1120 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ERIC HAFNER

The Third Circuit affirmed the denial of Eric Hafner's motion to withdraw his guilty plea, ruling that he failed to prove ineffective assistance of counsel or a fair and just reason for withdrawal. The court also upheld a 240-month sentence, finding no error in the application of sentencing enhancements for threatening conduct and obstruction of justice.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines Violent Crimes
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