No. 18-6798

Elvin Hill v. United States

Lower Court: Second Circuit
Docketed: 2018-11-23
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: 18-usc-924c crime-of-violence criminal-law elements-clause federal-criminal-law hobbs-act-robbery intangible-property physical-force statutory-interpretation violent-force
Key Terms:
AdministrativeLaw Environmental SocialSecurity Securities Immigration
Latest Conference: 2019-01-04
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether Hobbs Act robbery, which can be committed by causing the victim to fear economic loss to an intangible asset, categorically qualifies as a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)'s elements clause

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

question presented is whether Hobbs Act robbery, which can be committed by causing the victim to fear economic loss (“injury”) to an intangible asset (“property”), categorically qualifies as a crime of violence under § 924(c)’s elements clause, requiring the use of “physical force.” 2. In Curtis Johnson v. United States, 559 U.S. 133, 140 (2010), the Court ruled that the “force” required in the elements clause of the Armed Career Criminal Act was “violent force,” that is, “substantial,” “extreme,” and “strong physical force” “capable of causing physical pain or injury to another person.” “Minor uses of force i may not constitute ‘violence’ in the generic sense.” United States v. Castleman, 134 S. Ct. 1405, 1412 (2014). For example, “a squeeze on the arm that causes a bruise” is “hard to describe . . . as violence,” id. (internal quotation marks omitted); so too “relatively minor” “physical assaults” such as “pushing, grabbing, shoving, slapping, and hitting,” id. at 1411-12. Hobbs Act robbery is “based on [] New York law.” Evans v. United States, 504 U.S. 255, 264 (1992). New York robbery may be committed by minor physical exertions such as a bump, see People v. Lee, 197 A.D.2d 378, 378 (N.Y. App. Div. 1993); a block, see People v. Bennett, 219 A.D.2d 570, 570 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995); or a brief tug-of-war over property, see People v. Safon, 166 A.D.2d 389, 892 (N.Y. App. Div. 1990). The second question presented is whether Hobbs Act robbery, which like New York robbery can be committed by minor exertions of physical force, categorically qualifies as a crime of violence under § 924(c)’s elements clause, requiring the use of “violent force.” il

Docket Entries

2019-01-07
Petition DENIED.
2018-12-13
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/4/2019.
2018-12-04
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2018-11-20
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due December 24, 2018)
2018-10-02
Application (18A344) granted by Justice Ginsburg extending the time to file until November 21, 2018.
2018-09-28
Application (18A344) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from October 22, 2018 to November 21, 2018, submitted to Justice Ginsburg.

Attorneys

Elvin Hill
Yuanchung LeeFederal Defenders of New York, Petitioner
Yuanchung LeeFederal Defenders of New York, Petitioner
United States
Noel J. FranciscoSolicitor General, Respondent
Noel J. FranciscoSolicitor General, Respondent