No. 22-7826

Ronell Watson v. United States

Lower Court: Second Circuit
Docketed: 2023-06-21
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: 5th-amendment 6th-amendment attempted-murder constitutional-rights fifth-amendment jury-instructions premeditation sentencing-guidelines sixth-amendment statutory-maximum
Key Terms:
DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2023-09-26
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Is premeditation an element of attempted murder under the federal system?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

Questions Presented I. Is premeditation an element of attempted murder under the federal system, such that the Government violated Petitioner’s Fifth and Sixth Amendments rights by not instructing the jury to find premeditation beyond a reasonable doubt? II. Did the district court violate Petitioner’s Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights by sentencing him above the statutory maximum? III. Did the district court violate Petitioner’s Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights by finding premeditation by a preponderance of the evidence and raising Petitioner’s base offense level by six levels, or did the remedial holding in Booker entirely moot the constitutional holding? IV. Did the district court violate Petitioner’s constitutional rights and procedurally err by exceeding the statutory maximum? Vv. In sentencing Petitioner, a first-time offender, to 382 months, the district court praised the victim’s “honor,” “heroism,” and “courage under fire”—virtues unknown to Petitioner and irrelevant to his legal culpability—then said: “Agent Harper has our back, and this Court promises to always have his.” Do those errors necessitate summary vacatur and resentencing? i

Docket Entries

2023-10-02
Petition DENIED.
2023-06-29
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/26/2023.
2023-06-27
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2023-06-14
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due July 21, 2023)

Attorneys

Ronell Watson
Ronell Watson — Petitioner
Ronell Watson — Petitioner
United States
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent