No. 22-7747

Samuel Wilson, III v. United States

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2023-06-09
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: circuit-split criminal-procedure drug-slang evidence expert-testimony law-enforcement lay-testimony lay-witness
Key Terms:
Privacy
Latest Conference: 2023-09-26
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a law enforcement agent who is not designated as an expert can testify as a lay witness about drug slang, jargon or code in conversations to which the agent was not a party

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED FOR REVIEW I. Some, but not all, circuits permit a law enforcement agent who is not designated as an expert to testify as a lay witness about drug slang, jargon or code in conversations to which the agent was not a party. Other circuits have ruled that this is improper because it is not, in fact, lay testimony but rather testimony based on experience and training that. should be presented by a designated expert. Was it error for the district court in this case to permit a law enforcement agent to testify as a lay expert to otherwise unintelligible conversations which he believed contained drug slang, jargon or code? i

Docket Entries

2023-10-02
Petition DENIED.
2023-06-22
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/26/2023.
2023-06-15
Waiver of right of respondent United States of America to respond filed.
2023-05-31
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due July 10, 2023)

Attorneys

Samuel Wilson
Goodloe Lewis IIIHickman, Goza & Spragins, PLLC, Petitioner
United States of America
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent