Topic
Every decision we've filed under Sentencing Guidelines.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a criminal sentence for a defendant convicted of drug trafficking and making credible threats of violence. The court held that the district court properly applied a sentencing enhancement for threats and did not abuse its discretion in rejecting the defendant's arguments for a lower sentence.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a twenty-one-year prison sentence for a defendant convicted of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing an upward variance based on the defendant's extensive criminal history and the seriousness of the offense.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a four-level sentencing enhancement for a felon in possession of a firearm who fled from police. The court held that the firearm facilitated the flight even though it was hidden in a passenger's purse and never displayed.
The Eighth Circuit vacated a sentence imposed on a defendant convicted of child exploitation charges. The court held that the district court committed procedural error by relying on unproven, disputed factual allegations in the presentence report.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a criminal sentence despite a challenge to the denial of a sentencing reduction. The court held that any error in declining the reduction was harmless because the district court would have imposed the same sentence regardless.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress methamphetamine found during a pat-down search. The court vacated the defendant's sentence and remanded the case for resentencing due to an erroneous application of the career-offender enhancement.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a drug and firearm conviction where the district court applied a sentencing enhancement for maintaining a premises for distribution. The court held that the evidence supported the enhancement despite minor factual inaccuracies in the district court's reasoning.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a sentence of one hundred eighty months in prison for a defendant convicted of receiving and distributing child pornography. The court rejected arguments regarding a sentencing enhancement and the substantive reasonableness of the term.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to revoke supervised release and impose an eighteen-month prison sentence. The appellate court held that the lower court did not abuse its discretion in weighing the defendant's history of sexual assault against her continued drug trafficking.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a twenty-three-month sentence for drug distribution. The court rejected the defendant's claim that the district court acted unreasonably by considering his deportation status.