Topic
Every decision we've filed under Sentencing Guidelines.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court's denial of a motion to reduce a sentence based on a retroactive sentencing guideline amendment. The court held that the district judge did not abuse discretion by relying on the defendant's disciplinary record and the nature of the offense to deny the reduction.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress statements made by a defendant during police interviews at a hospital and a police station. The court dismissed the defendant's appeal regarding the substantive reasonableness of his sentence due to a valid waiver in his plea agreement.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a 240-month prison sentence for a defendant convicted of drug conspiracy and wire fraud. The court found no abuse of discretion in the district court's refusal to further reduce the sentence despite the defendant's arguments.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a federal prisoner's motion for compassionate release, finding no abuse of discretion in the lower court's weighing of sentencing factors.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the life imprisonment sentence imposed on Richard Dean Hicks. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting arguments for a lesser sentence based on the defendant's medical conditions and age.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Eloy Padilla-Saldana for illegal reentry. The court rejected his constitutional challenge to the statutory sentencing enhancement, noting the argument was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the sentence of a defendant convicted of traveling in interstate commerce to engage in a sexual act with a minor. The court rejected challenges to a sentencing enhancement for a vulnerable victim and a claim regarding conditional sentencing language.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a forty-six-month sentence for conspiracy to defraud the United States and aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. The court held that the district court did not commit plain error in explaining its sentence or abuse its discretion in selecting a below-guidelines term.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Sean Christopher Williams for manufacturing child pornography. The court rejected Williams's challenges regarding the admission of prior bad acts evidence, the sufficiency of evidence for interstate commerce, and the length of his within-Guidelines sentence.
The First Circuit affirmed the sex trafficking and obstruction convictions of Ricardo Middleton, rejecting challenges to expert testimony on trauma and memory. The court dismissed an ineffective assistance of counsel claim as premature, directing the defendant to raise it in a collateral proceeding.