| 25-6748 |
John Edwin Corn, Jr. v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2026-02-06 |
Pending |
IFP |
18-USC-3553a criminal-sentencing mitigating-factors sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness upward-variance |
Whether a district court imposes a substantively unreasonable sentence when it upward varies from the sentencing guidelines range but affords no real … |
| 25A526 |
Martin Gutierrez-Barba v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2025-11-06 |
Application |
|
18-usc-3553a appellate-review circuit-split federal-sentencing preservation-of-error sentencing-error |
Whether a defendant must raise an objection after sentencing to preserve a nonfrivolous sentencing argument based on 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors that … |
| 25-5152 |
Zachary Charles Fowler v. United States |
Tenth Circuit |
2025-07-21 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a advisory-range appellate-review criminal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines unwarranted-disparities |
Is a sentence that falls within the advisory guideline range categorically one that does not create unwarranted disparities among defendants with simi… |
| 24-6047 |
Rodney Tyrone Henry v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2024-11-27 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a accomplice-liability circuit-court-review criminal-procedure premeditation sentencing |
Whether the Eighth Circuit misapplied precedent regarding premeditation and accomplice liability in sentencing a defendant under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) |
| 24A345 |
Ronald Robinson v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2024-10-11 |
Presumed Complete |
|
18-usc-3553a criminal-history eighth-circuit mitigating-factors sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines |
Whether a district court may impose an unusually harsh sentence without meaningfully considering a defendant's mitigating factors of childhood trauma,… |
| 24-50 |
Marlo Helmstetter v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2024-07-17 |
Denied |
Response Waived |
18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3582 compassionate-release concepcion-v-united-states district-court-discretion extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons extraordinary-reasons sentencing-commission sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation |
Whether the procedural approach adopted by several circuit courts of considering only the 18 U.S.C. §3553(a) factors, without first determining whethe… |
| 24-5058 |
Joseph Curtis Hubman v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2024-07-11 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a)(2) 18-usc-3553a child-pornography criminal-history sentencing-guidelines sentencing-purposes upward-variance |
Whether an upward variance sentence nearly two years higher than recommended by the Sentencing Guidelines is greater than necessary to comply with the… |
| 23-6629 |
Gilbert Dean Bicknell v. United States |
Seventh Circuit |
2024-01-31 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a brady-materiality brady-v-maryland district-court-finding due-process federal-sentencing guidelines-determination judicial-discretion materiality prosecutorial-disclosure sentencing-information united-states-v-booker |
Whether the materiality analysis from Brady v. Maryland sufficiently satisfies due process when applied to federal sentencing decisions post-Booker |
| 23-6336 |
Javier Garibay Mendoza, aka Javier Garibay Mendoza-Romero, aka Jose Mendoza-Romero v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2023-12-22 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a circuit-split criminal-sentencing gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion procedural-obligations procedural-requirements sentencing-guidelines upward-variance |
When a court varies upward from the Guidelines, can the court fulfill its procedural obligations without explaining its disagreements with the Guideli… |
| 23-5357 |
Carlos Edwin Smith, Jr. v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2023-08-15 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a adult-sentencing adverse-childhood-experiences criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court judicial-discretion mitigation-factors relevancy sentencing-guidelines |
Whether a district court fully considers the factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when sentencing a defendant if it questions the relevancy of adv… |
| 22-6560 |
Candido Gomez-Santacruz v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2023-01-18 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a district-court-discretion federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states imprisonment-duration prior-term-of-imprisonment sentencing sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation substantive-reasonableness |
Whether a district court may, consistent with 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), treat the duration of a prior term of imprisonment as a floor or baseline on its se… |
| 22-6429 |
Robert McKenna v. United States |
First Circuit |
2022-12-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a appellate-review criminal-history district-court-discretion due-process public-safety sentencing sentencing-factors sentencing-reasonableness |
Whether the First Circuit Court of Appeals erred in finding that the defendant's sentence was procedurally and substantively reasonable under 18 USC §… |
| 21-8118 |
Myron Dejuan Orr v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2022-06-10 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-U.S.C.-3553(a) 18-U.S.C.-3582(c) 18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3582c abuse-of-discretion circuit-split extraordinary-and-or-compelling-reasons first-step-act sentencing-disparity |
Whether the lower courts' rulings amount to an abuse of discretion when failing to consider that a disparity in sentencing amounts to an abuse of disc… |
| 21-8093 |
Albert Aiad-Toss v. United States |
Sixth Circuit |
2022-06-08 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553 18-USC-3553a abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure district-court-discretion procedural-reasonableness reasonableness sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness supervised-release |
Whether Mr. Aiad-Toss's lifetime supervised release term was procedurally unreasonable |
| 21-8030 |
Andre Marcus Buchanan v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2022-06-01 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a career-offender criminal-procedure due-process plain-error plain-error-review reasonableness sentencing |
Whether Mr. Buchanan's sentence is unreasonable because it is greater than necessary to accomplish the goals of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) |
| 21-6941 |
Tracy Vaughn v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2022-01-21 |
Denied |
Relisted (3)IFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a crack-cocaine criminal-resentencing criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion first-step-act sentencing-factors sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation |
Whether a district court must consider 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors in deciding to impose a reduced sentence for a crack cocaine offense und… |
| 21-6144 |
Johnnie Sims v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2021-11-02 |
GVR |
Relisted (2)IFP |
18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a criminal-sentencing discretionary-review district-court-discretion first-step-act individualized-explanation sentence-reduction sentencing-factors statutory-interpretation |
Are district courts required to consider the sentencing factors listed in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when deciding whether to impose a reduced sentence under… |
| 21-5348 |
James H. Bates v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2021-08-12 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
18-usc-3553a criminal-sentencing discretionary-review district-court-discretion first-step-act individualized-explanation section-404 sentencing-factors statutory-interpretation |
Are district courts required to consider the sentencing factors listed in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when deciding whether to impose a reduced sentence under… |
| 21-5047 |
Michael Carter v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2021-07-08 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
18-usc-3553a criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing discretionary-review district-court-discretion first-step-act individualized-explanation sentence-reduction sentencing-factors statutory-interpretation |
Are district courts required to consider the sentencing factors listed in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when deciding whether to impose a reduced sentence under… |
| 21-5030 |
Jonathan Mark Brinda v. United States |
Sixth Circuit |
2021-07-07 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion due-process excessive-sentence sentencing sentencing-considerations statutory-considerations statutory-interpretation supervised-release |
Whether the district court erred in sentencing the defendant excessively based on the statutory considerations in 18 U.S.C. §3553(a) and in imposing a… |
| 20-1479 |
Eddie Houston, Jr. v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2021-04-21 |
GVR |
Amici (2)Relisted (2) |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a criminal-resentencing criminal-sentencing first-step-act judicial-discretion reduced-sentence retroactive-sentencing sentencing-factors statutory-interpretation |
Whether a sentencing court must consider applicable sentencing factors codified in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when deciding whether to impose a reduced sente… |
| 20-6927 |
Anthony Freeney v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2021-01-25 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a audio-recordings criminal-procedure due-process evidence-sufficiency jail-phone-calls jury-instructions jury-verdict sentencing standard-of-review sufficiency-of-evidence |
Was the evidence insufficient to sustain the jury's guilty verdict? |
| 20-6442 |
Jonair Tyreece Moore v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2020-11-25 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a circuit-split crack-cocaine discretionary-reduction district-court first-step-act racial-disparity sentencing-factors |
Whether a district court must consider the sentencing factors of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when determining whether to impose a reduced sentence for a crack… |
| 20-6274 |
Fernando Juarez, aka Fernando Perez-Juarez v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2020-11-10 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a appellate-review criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing judicial-discretion overarching-goal presumption-of-reasonableness reasonableness-standard rita-v-united-states sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation |
Whether the presumption of reasonableness for within-guidelines sentences approved in Rita v. United States, 551 U.S. 338 (2007) has proved incompatib… |
| 20-5740 |
Edward Mahan v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2020-09-17 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-USC-3553a appeal criminal-procedure downward-adjustment drug-offense due-process government-misconduct plea-agreement safety-valve sentencing sentencing-guidelines |
Did the district court err by allowing the government to violate the plea agreement? |
| 19-8683 |
Edgardo Grande v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2020-06-12 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a appeal-waiver fairness-integrity-public-reputation judicial-proceedings plea-agreement sentencing sentencing-factors substantial-rights unconscionability unconscionable-contract |
Whether the waiver of appeal rights contained in the Plea Agreement is unenforceable since the Plea Agreement is invalid because it is an unconscionab… |
| 19-8569 |
Brandon S. Wilson v. United States |
Seventh Circuit |
2020-05-29 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure district-court-discretion due-process procedural-error sentencing sentencing-reasonableness supervised-release |
Is Mr. Wilson's sentence procedurally and substantively infirm because the district court failed to consider the factors under 18 USC §3553(a) or offe… |
| 19-1260 |
Andrew Demma v. United States |
Sixth Circuit |
2020-04-30 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) |
18-usc-3553a appeals-court child-pornography circuit-split discretion gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion kimbrough-v-united-states policy-disagreement sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness |
Whether the discretion recognized under Kimbrough v. United States for a district court to vary based on a policy disagreement applies to the child po… |
| 19-7918 |
Patrick Harris v. United States |
Sixth Circuit |
2020-03-10 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a child-pornography criminal-sentencing district-court enhancement-factors excessive-sentence sentencing-discretion sentencing-enhancements sentencing-guidelines statutory-considerations |
Did the district court err in applying sentencing enhancements under U.S.S.G. §2G2.2(b)(2), (b)(3), (b)(4), (b)(6) and (b)(7)(D) to Mr. Harris' case? |
| 19-7470 |
Agustin Martinez-Lopez v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2020-01-29 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a appellate-review appellate-standard circuit-split criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing criminal-sentencing,appellate-review,18-usc-3553(a federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-factors sentencing-review statutory-interpretation substantive-reasonableness |
Can appellate courts reweigh the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) |
| 19-7107 |
Joseph Thor Perkins v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2019-12-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a 3553(a)-factors abuse-of-discretion booker-v-united-states criminal-sentencing downward-variance federal-sentencing-procedure gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation |
Whether a sentencing court can abuse its discretion by not varying downward further |
| 19-7105 |
Miguel Jilberto Vazquez-Chavarria v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2019-12-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a abuse-of-discretion appellate-review criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-discretion remand sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sentencing-review statutory-interpretation substantive-reasonableness |
whether-substantive-reasonableness-review-requires-or-permits-the-courts-of-appeals-to-reweigh-the-18-usc-3553a-factors |
| 19-7092 |
Laforest Carmichael, aka LaForrest Carmichael v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-12-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a circuit-split mandatory-revocation sentencing-factors statutory-maximum substantive-reasonableness supervised-release |
Whether a sentencing judge must consider the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors when imposing a sentence for a supervised release violation that r… |
| 19-665 |
John Doe v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2019-11-25 |
Denied |
Response WaivedRelisted (2) |
18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a criminal-procedure district-court district-court-discretion federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure rule-35 rule-35b sentence-reduction sentencing sentencing-factors substantial-assistance |
May a district court deny a government's Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 35(b) motion for reduction of sentence based on substantial assistance wit… |
| 19-6663 |
Jose Hernandez-Martinez, et al. v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-11-18 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3582c2 28-usc-991b 28-usc-994 due-process equal-protection guidelines-policy rational-basis-scrutiny retroactive-amendment retroactive-sentence-reduction sentence-reduction sentencing-commission sentencing-commission-authority sentencing-reform-act |
Is the Sentencing Commission's delegated authority over retroactive sentence reduction proceedings constrained by the general purposes of the Commissi… |
| 19-6650 |
Fidel Rios, Jr. v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2019-11-15 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a 8th-circuit criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court downward-variance guidelines judicial-discretion life-circumstances sentencing sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines u-s-code |
Whether the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals and District Court for the Southern District of Iowa failed to adequately consider the sentencing factors set… |
| 19-6288 |
Ron Christopher Whitley v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2019-10-17 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing drug-case drug-offense drug-offenses judicial-discretion proportionality-review sentencing-departure sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines |
Whether the 156-month sentence is greater than necessary to comply with the purposes of sentencing under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) |
| 19-6205 |
Ruben Navarrete-Felix v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-10-09 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-policy recidivism sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors |
Is it an abuse of discretion to sentence a recidivist pursuant to a blanket policy of always imposing a longer sentence than the defendant previously … |
| 19-5778 |
Hosam Maher Husein Smadi v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2019-09-03 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a constitutional-rights due-process effective-counsel equal-protection manifest-injustice plea-agreement right-to-effective-counsel rule-11 sentencing sentencing-guidelines supreme-court-precedent |
Whether Smadi in this Case would suffer a manifest injustice and an extreme hardship by serving several extra years in prison |
| 19-5412 |
Jean Claude Phillip McKenzie v. United States |
Sixth Circuit |
2019-07-31 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a 6th-circuit appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court history-and-characteristics judicial-discretion nature-and-circumstances sentencing sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sentencing-variance |
Whether the district court's upward variance in sentencing was proper |
| 19-5125 |
Francisco Gallegos-Lopez v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-07-09 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
18-usc-3553a 3553(a)-factors abuse-of-discretion appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure judicial-discretion preservation-of-error procedural-error sentencing sentencing-recommendation statutory-factors |
Does urging a sentencing recommendation lower than that ultimately imposed, and grounded in the statutory factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), suffice to p… |
| 18-9803 |
Salvador Galvan v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-06-27 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a appeal criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion due-process guidelines procedural-error sentencing sentencing-guidelines ussg-2b1.1 victim victim-definition victim-impact |
Whether the district court committed procedural error by considering every resident of the City of Compton as a victim for purposes of its 18 U.S.C. §… |
| 18-9534 |
Femi Alexander Mewase v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2019-06-05 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a confrontation-clause criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-jury-selection due-process federal-rules-of-evidence jury-selection sentencing |
Whether the Fifth Circuit erred by affirming the improper removal of Juror 20 |
| 18-8352 |
Lino Hernandez v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-03-08 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3582(c)(2) 3553(a)-factors 3582(c)(2)-motion amendment-782 amendment-782-788 criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion procedural-reasonableness sentence-disparity sentence-reduction sentencing-disparities sentencing-error sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation |
Whether the District Court committed substantive error in sentencing |
| 18-8328 |
Maritza Burgueno-Gonzalez v. United States |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-03-07 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-USC-3553a criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court district-court-discretion federal-sentencing sentencing-considerations sentencing-disparities smuggling smuggling-scheme unwarranted-sentences |
Whether the district court violated 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)'s rule that a district court must consider unwarranted sentencing disparities |
| 18-7918 |
Rutilio Hernandez v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2019-02-12 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a 18-usc-924 abuse-of-discretion constitutional-law criminal-procedure district-court district-court-discretion sentence-reduction sentencing-error sentencing-guidelines statutory-directive statutory-interpretation substantive-error sufficient-but-not-greater-than-necessary |
Whether the District Court Committed substantive error when failed to impose a sentence that was sufficient but not greater than necessary to comply w… |
| 18-7863 |
Jeffrey Burris v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2019-02-08 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a abuse-of-discretion criminal-sentencing due-process firearms firearms-possession reasonableness reasonableness-review sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation unregistered |
Whether a sixty-month sentence for the simple possession of unregistered firearms, without any evidence suggesting the defendant was doing anything il… |
| 18-7227 |
Antonio Ledon Jones v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-01-04 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3553a6 due-process eleventh-circuit fifth-amendment judicial-review sentencing sentencing-disparities unwarranted-sentence-disparities |
Whether the Eleventh Circuit decided the opinion below based on inaccurate information and thereby betrayed the due process guarantees of the Fifth Am… |
| 18-6327 |
Rolando Humphrey v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2018-10-16 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing judicial-determination judicial-discretion jury-role jury-trial sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-18-usc-3553 statutory-minimum |
Whether district courts may determine without the aid of a jury that a sentence above the statutory minimum is 'not greater than necessary' to achieve… |
| 18-6266 |
Ivan Rivera-Solis v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2018-10-10 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553a appellate-review circuit-split criminal-sentencing gall-standard gall-v-united-states sentencing-factors sentencing-review standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness |
Can appellate courts reweigh sentencing factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) |
| 18-5828 |
Adolfo Lopez-Garcia v. United States |
Seventh Circuit |
2018-08-29 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3582(c)(2) 3582c-motion amendment-782 criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court procedural-reasonableness sentence-reduction sentencing-discretion sentencing-error sentencing-guidelines statutory-directive statutory-interpretation substantive-error substantive-reasonableness sufficient-but-not-greater-than-necessary |
Whether the District Court Committed substantive error when failed to impose a sentence that was sufficient but not greater than necessary to comply w… |