Topic
Every decision we've filed under Criminal.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed Matthew Scott Dowell's appeal as frivolous because his post-judgment motions were filed more than one year after the judgment. The court held that such untimely motions are unauthorized and lack a jurisdictional basis.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Timothy Muller's conviction for transmitting threats and retaliating against a federal official, ruling that his voicemails and texts constituted true threats rather than protected political speech. The court further rejected Muller's challenges regarding jury instructions, judicial conduct during trial, and jury composition, finding no reversible error in the proceedings.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a defendant's request to disqualify his probation officer. The panel held that challenges to modified supervised release conditions were moot and that the district court lacked authority to order reassignment based on a self-created conflict.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed Aaron Strong's conviction for witness tampering, ruling that evidence of routine federal-state collaboration on excessive force cases satisfied the statutory requirement for federal involvement. The court held that a defendant's false statements to a state investigator can constitute a federal crime when the underlying conduct is a common target of federal civil rights prosecutions.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a 12-month supervised release revocation sentence, finding no plain error in the district court's handling of the defendant's arguments regarding his original state detainer. The panel held that the sentence was substantively reasonable given the defendant's overall dishonesty and performance on supervision, not just a single relapse event.
The Sixth Circuit reversed the dismissal of ERISA claims alleging that pension plans used outdated mortality data to calculate benefits for married participants. The court held that the statutory requirement for actuarial equivalence prohibits the use of unreasonable, inapplicable actuarial assumptions that fail to reflect modern life expectancies.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a defendant's motion for compassionate release, ruling that the district court's reliance on sentencing factors was sufficient to deny relief. The court held that any potential error regarding the defendant's extraordinary and compelling circumstances was harmless because the sentence reduction would not reflect the seriousness of the offense.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Tomonta Simmons's conviction for unlawful firearm possession by a felon, rejecting his Second Amendment challenge to his guilty plea. The court also upheld his sentence, finding no procedural or substantive error in the district court's application of sentencing guidelines.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a 12-month prison sentence imposed on Christopher Joseph Antoun following the second revocation of his supervised release. The court held that the district court provided sufficient reasons for varying above the Sentencing Guidelines and that the sentence was substantively reasonable under federal law.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 105-month prison sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm, rejecting claims that the sentence was procedurally or substantively unreasonable. The court held that the district court properly considered the defendant's arguments and adequately justified an upward variance from the Sentencing Guidelines.