Nathaniel Ruth v. United States
Immigration JusticiabilityDoctri
Does the phrase 'controlled substance' in U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b) include substances that are excluded from the CSA?
QUESTIONS PRESENTED A defendant convicted of violating the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. § 801, et seq. (the “CSA”) is a “career offender” under the United States Sentencing Guidelines if, among other things, he “has at least two prior felony convictions of either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense.” U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1(a). The Guidelines define “controlled substance offense” as, in part, “an offense under federal or state law, punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, that prohibits the manufacture, import, export, distribution, or dispensing of a controlled substance .” U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b) (Emphasis added). The questions presented are: 1. Does the phrase “controlled substance” in U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b) include substances that are excluded from the CSA? 2. When defining an operative, but undefined, term in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, should courts use analogous federal statutory definitions, should they use state statutory definitions, or should they use a judge-made “natural meaning” of that term? ii