Topic
Every decision we've filed under Criminal.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Enoch Buckley's motion for a sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). The court held that Buckley failed to demonstrate an abuse of discretion because his arguments regarding sentencing disparities were mere conjecture.
The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from a direct criminal appeal after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit. The court affirmed the defendant's convictions and sentences, concluding that the appeal lacked legal substance.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal challenging a magistrate judge's order finding the defendant incompetent to stand trial. The court ruled that the order was not final because the defendant had filed a pending motion to vacate it in the district court.
The Sixth Circuit reversed summary judgment for an officer in a Fourth Amendment excessive force case, finding a genuine dispute of material fact regarding the timing of a chokehold. The court held that whether the deadly force was applied before or after the plaintiff attempted to grab the officer's gun is a factual question for a jury to decide.
The First Circuit affirmed negligence findings and damages for medical expenses and pain but reversed the homemaker loss award and the loss-of-consortium award for family members. The court held that the family members failed to exhaust administrative remedies and that the district court applied an impermissible rigid rule rather than a case-specific inquiry for homemaker damages.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Elijah Brown's bank fraud sentence while vacating and remanding the restitution order for recalculation. The court rejected challenges to the vulnerable victim and role enhancement adjustments, finding the district court's application of the Sentencing Guidelines plausible and supported by the record.
The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw from representing the defendant after reviewing the record. The court dismissed the appeal, finding no nonfrivolous issues existed for appellate review.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Marshall Grace's conviction for drug conspiracy, ruling that he failed to prove purposeful racial discrimination under Batson v. Kentucky. The court held that the district court's assessment of the prosecutor's credibility regarding a race-neutral reason for striking a juror was not clearly erroneous.
The Eleventh Circuit granted the government's motion for summary affirmance, rejecting challenges to the defendants' convictions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. The court held that the United States properly exercised jurisdiction over a vessel without nationality in international waters, even when located within another nation's exclusive economic zone.
The Fifth Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw and dismissed the appeal after reviewing the record. The court found no nonfrivolous issues for appellate review under the standard established in Anders v. California.