No. 23-631

Hollis Morrison Greenlaw, et al. v. United States

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2023-12-12
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Tags: appellate-review constitutional-error criminal-procedure harmless-error intent-to-defraud jury-instructions scheme-to-defraud structural-error
Latest Conference: 2024-05-09
Question Presented (from Petition)

Petitioners were charged with fraud offenses, all of which had as an element "intent to defraud" and most of which also had as an element "scheme to defraud." At trial, all petitioners specifically contested both elements; three of the petitioners testified that they did not intend to defraud anyone or intend to deprive anyone of money or property. The Fifth Circuit held that the definition of "intent to defraud" was erroneous because it did not require an intent to cheat and assumed that the definition of "scheme to defraud" was erroneous because it did not require an intent to deprive anyone of money or property. The Fifth Circuit nonetheless concluded the errors were harmless because, in the appellate court's view, there was overwhelming evidence of petitioners' intent to defraud and scheme to defraud (as properly defined).

I.
Whether harmless-error analysis of jury instructions that omitted or misdefined an element must decline to find that constitutional error harmless when (1) the defendant at trial contested the element (as properly defined) and (2) there was any evidence permitting a rational jury to have a reasonable doubt about the element (as properly defined), as multiple federal circuit and state appellate courts have held; or, instead, whether an appellate court nonetheless may deem such error harmless based on its belief that there was overwhelming evidence of the element (as properly defined) at trial, as the Fifth Circuit did below.

II.
Whether, for the reasons stated in Justice Scalia's dissenting opinion in Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1 (1999), this Court should overrule Neder and treat jury instructions that omit or misdefine an element as structural error.

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether harmless-error analysis of jury instructions that omitted or misdefined an element must decline to find that constitutional error harmless

Docket Entries

2024-05-13
Petition DENIED.
2024-04-23
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/9/2024.
2024-04-16
2024-04-12
Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed.
2024-03-04
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including April 12, 2024.
2024-03-01
Motion to extend the time to file a response from March 13, 2024 to April 12, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
2024-02-06
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including March 13, 2024.
2024-02-05
Motion to extend the time to file a response from February 12, 2024 to March 13, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
2024-01-09
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including February 12, 2024.
2024-01-05
Motion to extend the time to file a response from January 11, 2024 to February 12, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
2023-12-08
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 11, 2024)

Attorneys

Hollis Morrison Greenlaw, et al.
Brent Evan Newton — Petitioner
United States of America
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent