Topic
Every decision we've filed under Firearms.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Maurice Lacey's conviction for firearm possession, ruling that the district court did not clearly err in finding him mentally competent to stand trial. The appellate court determined that a second psychological evaluation, which found the defendant alert and knowledgeable, outweighed conflicting evidence regarding his delusions.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Sonia Mata regarding a sentencing enhancement. The court enforced a waiver of appeal included in Mata's plea agreement.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 96-month sentence for a felon in possession of ammunition, ruling that any error in applying a sentencing enhancement was harmless. The court held that the district court would have imposed the same sentence based on statutory factors regardless of the disputed Guidelines calculation.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a criminal judgment where the district court imposed an Armed Career Criminal Act enhanced sentence. The court held that while a plain error occurred regarding the different occasions element, the defendant failed to show it affected his substantial rights.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Joshua Ryan Burns for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court granted the Government's motion for summary affirmance, ruling that Burns's constitutional challenges are foreclosed by existing precedent.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 200-month sentence for a firearms conviction, ruling that while the district court erred by determining the 'different occasions' of prior felonies without a jury, the mistake was harmless. The court held that the defendant would have waived his right to a jury and admitted the prior offenses occurred on separate occasions had he been properly advised during his guilty plea.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Xavier Holley's 40-year sentence for a failed pawn shop robbery that resulted in a clerk's death. The court rejected Holley's challenges regarding sentencing guidelines grouping, consecutive sentence authority, and ineffective assistance of counsel.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a sentence of eighty-seven months for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also remanded the case to correct a clerical error in the judgment that incorrectly cited the Armed Career Criminal Act.
The Eleventh Circuit summarily affirmed Eibe Scott's conviction for felon-in-possession, rejecting his Second Amendment challenges as foreclosed by binding precedent. The court held that its prior decision in United States v. Rozier remains controlling law despite recent Supreme Court rulings.
The Fourth Circuit reversed a district court's denial of a motion to suppress, holding that a Forest Service officer unreasonably extended a traffic stop to investigate unrelated criminal activity. The court found the officer abandoned the stop's original mission immediately, violating the Fourth Amendment under the standard set in Rodriguez v. United States.