No. 25-6432

Dylan Gregory Kerstetter v. United States

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2025-12-23
Status: Pending
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP Experienced Counsel
Tags: armed-career-criminal-act categorical-approach circuit-split sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-offense violent-felony
Key Terms:
Immigration
Latest Conference: 2026-02-20
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Under the ACCA's categorical approach, if a state statute expressly criminalizes conduct outside the federal definitions of 'serious drug offense' or 'violent felony,' does the defendant bear a burden of proving that the state had also applied its law to convict someone for non-qualifying conduct?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

The Texas statutes defining Mr. Kerstetter’s prior offenses explicitly prohibit conduct outside the Armed Career Criminal Act’s definitions of “serious drug offense” and “violent felony,” 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2). He also tried to comply with the Fifth Circuit’s “realistic probability” jurisprudence by pointing to cases in which Texas courts confir med that the state laws mean what they say. Even so, the Fifth Circuit affirmed his ACCA sentence and refused to reconsider its realistic probability requirement. 1. Under the ACCA’s categorical approach, if a state statute expressly criminalizes conduct outside the federal definitions of “serious drug offense” or “violent felony,” does the defendant bear a burden of proving that the state had also applied its law to convict someone for non-qualifying conduct? 2. If so, has Mr. Kerstetter satisfied that burden? ii DIRECTLY

Docket Entries

2026-01-15
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/20/2026.
2026-01-12
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2025-12-19
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due January 22, 2026)
2025-11-19
Application (25A584) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until December 19, 2025.
2025-11-14
Application (25A584) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from November 23, 2025 to December 19, 2025, submitted to Justice Alito.

Attorneys

Dylan Gregory Kerstetter
James Matthew WrightOffice of the Federal Public Defender, Petitioner
James Matthew WrightOffice of the Federal Public Defender, Petitioner
James Matthew WrightOffice of the Federal Public Defender, Petitioner
United States
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent