Topic
Every decision we've filed under Firearms.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Antonio Daleon White for possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. The court rejected White's challenges to the statute's interstate commerce element, Commerce Clause authority, and Second Amendment validity based on established precedent.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a defendant's sentence for possession of ammunition as a felon. The court held that the district court's findings regarding specific intent to kill were sufficient to apply the attempted murder sentencing guideline cross-reference.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal by a defendant challenging his firearm possession sentence. The court held that the defendant's valid appeal waiver in his plea agreement barred his claims of procedural and substantive unreasonableness.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a 246-month sentence for a defendant who committed three armed carjackings as a teenager, ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion by weighing his extensive juvenile criminal history as an aggravating factor. The court held that the sentencing judge properly balanced the defendant's youth and background against the need for deterrence and the statutory mandatory minimums.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant who pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court rejected the defendant's constitutional challenge under the Bruen framework and upheld the sentencing enhancement applied by the district court.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 78-month sentence for a felon-in-possession conviction, rejecting the defendant's challenge to a four-level sentencing enhancement. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in finding the defendant possessed a firearm in connection with a separate felony offense based on social media activity and the circumstances of a search warrant execution.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Paris Jamal Graham's conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon, rejecting his Second Amendment challenge as foreclosed by binding precedent. The court found no meritorious grounds for appeal following an Anders review and determined the guilty plea and sentence were lawful.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Keionta Shawn Hagens's conviction and sentence, ruling that any potential error in calculating his Sentencing Guidelines range was harmless. The court held that the district court would have imposed the same 156-month sentence regardless of the error and that the sentence remained substantively reasonable under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a).
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a 96-month sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm, rejecting claims that the district court committed procedural errors by departing from sentencing guidelines. The court held that judges are not required to incrementally move through criminal history categories and that such factors are properly considered within the ultimate reasonableness analysis.
The Fifth Circuit reversed Elijah Martin's convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), holding the statute unconstitutional as applied to him because his predicate offenses were simple drug possession. The court found the government failed to demonstrate a sufficient historical tradition for disarming individuals based on non-violent drug possession under the Bruen test.