No. 25-5500

Clarence C. Roland, III v. United States

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2025-08-28
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process evidence-admission fair-trial separate-sovereigns
Key Terms:
DueProcess CriminalProcedure
Latest Conference: 2025-09-29
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether eliciting details of a prior state court conviction and a co-conspirator's conviction in a federal trial violates a criminal defendant's due process rights

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

During Petitioner’s federal trial, the government elicited evidence that he had previously been tried in state court for the same conduct , had asserted the same defenses, and had been convicted based on much of the same evidence submitted in the federal trial. The government also introduced the conviction of Petitioner’s co conspirator for engaging in the same conduct. While Gamble v. United States , 587 U.S. 678 (2019) , reaffirms the separate sovereigns doctrine —allowing successive prosecutions by different sovereigns —no previous court has permitted a conviction by a jury in a separate sovereign to be used as evidence of guilt in a federal trial . Due process demands that a criminal defendant receive a fair trial free from improper outside influence . The question s presented are: 1. Whether eliciting the fact and details of a defendant’s conviction in a separate sovereign —including that it was for the same conduct and that the defendant asserted the same defense s—violates due process. 2. Whether eliciting details of a co -conspirator’s conviction for the same conduct the defendant is accused of violates due process .

Docket Entries

2025-10-06
Petition DENIED.
2025-09-11
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
2025-09-05
Waiver of United States of right to respond submitted.
2025-09-05
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2025-07-21
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due September 29, 2025)

Attorneys

Clarence Roland, III
John Dennis HesterHester Law, Petitioner
United States
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent