Topic
Every decision we've filed under Sex Offenses.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a consecutive sentence imposed on a defendant who threatened a federal officer. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in balancing sentencing factors under the Guidelines.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 60-month prison sentence for a defendant who made multiple interstate threats against a federal judge and her family. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion to impose an upward variance based on the premeditated and terroristic nature of the conduct, despite the defendant's arguments regarding mitigating personal history.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a sixty-month prison sentence for a defendant who made multiple threatening voicemails to a federal judge and her family. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion to impose an upward variance based on the premeditated and terroristic nature of the threats.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant accused of sexually abusing a child in Indian country. The court held that excluding polygraph test references from an FBI interview did not violate the defendant's right to present a complete defense.
The Third Circuit reversed the judgment against a detective who recommended charges against a civilian, ruling that probable cause existed for the offenses. The court also vacated the punitive damages award against a police officer, reducing it to twelve thousand dollars as constitutionally excessive.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Schylar Colfax's conviction for abusive sexual contact with a minor, finding the evidence sufficient to prove intent to gratify sexual desire. The court rejected challenges regarding witness credibility, the suppression of statements, and the admission of prior bad acts, concluding no reversible error occurred.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Adam Joseph King's conviction for sexual offenses in Indian Country, ruling that the evidence was sufficient to prove the victim's Indian status and the defendant's non-Indian status. The court further held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by allowing alternate charges under two different federal statutes, provided the jury was instructed to convict on only one theory.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of David Manuel Garcia for engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. The court held that Garcia failed to demonstrate plain error in challenging the constitutionality of the statute under which he was convicted.
The D.C. Circuit vacated preliminary injunctions blocking the transfer of transgender women inmates to men's facilities, ruling that the district court failed to make necessary individualized findings of fact. The court held that while the Eighth Amendment claim was not barred by jurisdictional or exhaustion statutes, the plaintiffs did not demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits without specific evidence of their unique vulnerabilities.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a prison official in a civil rights case, ruling that the inmate failed to prove deliberate indifference regarding his housing assignment. The court applied plain error review due to the appellant's failure to object to the magistrate judge's report and found no clear error in the district court's dismissal of the claim.