No. 20-7301

Bernandino Gawala Bolatete v. United States

Lower Court: Eleventh Circuit
Docketed: 2021-03-02
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: 2nd-amendment article-i congress-power-to-tax congressional-power criminal-law criminal-punishment firearms-regulation national-firearms-act suppressor-registration taxation-clause tenth-amendment
Key Terms:
Takings
Latest Conference: 2021-03-26
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether federal criminal punishment of the receipt and possession of unregistered suppressors under 26 U.S.C. §§ 5861(d) and 5871 exceeds Congress's power to tax under Article I, section 8, of the Constitution and violates the Tenth Amendment

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED Petitioner was convicted under 26 U.S.C. §§ 5861(d) and 5871, sections of the National Firearms Act that impose criminal penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for receiving or possessing a firearm suppressor not registered by the transferor of the suppressor. As the transferee, Petitioner was not responsible for paying the $200 required to register the suppressor. The constitutional foundation justifying the federal criminalization of Petitioner’s conduct is Congress’s power to tax under Article I, section 8, of the Constitution. The important federal question presented is: Whether federal criminal punishment of the receipt and possession of unregistered suppressors under 26 U.S.C. §§ 5861(d) and 5871 exceeds Congress’s power to tax under Article I, section 8, of the Constitution and violates the Tenth Amendment. i PROCEEDINGS IN FEDERAL TRIAL AND APPELLATE COURTS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS CASE United States District Court (M.D. Fla.): United States v. Bolatete, No. (September 17, 2018) United States Court of Appeals (11th Cir.): United States v. Bolatete, No. 18-14184 (September 29, 2020) ii

Docket Entries

2021-03-29
Petition DENIED.
2021-03-11
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/26/2021.
2021-03-08
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2021-02-26
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due April 1, 2021)

Attorneys

Bernandino Bolatete
Lynn Palmer BaileyFederal Public Defender, Petitioner
Lynn Palmer BaileyFederal Public Defender, Petitioner
United States
Elizabeth B. PrelogarActing Solicitor General, Respondent
Elizabeth B. PrelogarActing Solicitor General, Respondent