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326 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-6786 Cornell Clisby v. United States Sixth Circuit 2026-02-11 Pending IFP abuse-of-discretion circuit-court extraordinary-reasons federal-sentencing rehabilitation-factors sentence-reduction Whether the Sixth Circuit and the district court abused its discretion by failing to hold that extraordinary and compelling reasons existed to qualify…
25-6710 Jose Ramon Castillo-Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2026-02-04 Pending IFP appellate-waiver federal-sentencing fifth-circuit guilty-plea plea-agreement withdrawal-of-plea 1. Based on his plea agreement's boilerplate waiver of most appellate rights, the Fifth Circuit dismissed Petitioner's challenge to his federal senten…
25-6622 Alante Martel Nelson v. United States Fourth Circuit 2026-01-20 Pending Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach controlled-substance criminal-law federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation 1. To determine a controlled substance offense under USSG § 4B1.2(b) using the categorical approach, do courts compare the elements of the prior convi…
25-6451 Thomas Steven Sanders v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-12-30 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedIFP appellate-review case-or-controversy commutation death-penalty federal-sentencing mootness Following commutation of a death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of release, does a case or controversy regarding the death penalty…
25A594 Keith Lashon Bell v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-11-20 Application appeal-waiver constitutional-exception criminal-procedure federal-sentencing habeas-corpus plea-agreement Whether appeal waivers in plea agreements can be enforced when exceptional circumstances or constitutional concerns arise
25-6138 Michael Chance v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-11-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split federal-sentencing life-expectancy parsimony-principle sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Where 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) mandates that federal courts "shall impose a sentence sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to comply with [its] purpo…
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 …
25-5776 Thomas Scott Perkins v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-10-01 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP comparative-analysis federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing-commission sentencing-disparity statutory-interpretation Whether the detailed Judiciary Sentencing Information (JSIN) statistics compiled by the United States Sentencing Commission are relevant to considerin…
25-5631 Brian Goorahoo v. United States Second Circuit 2025-09-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-appeal federal-sentencing preservation-of-error procedural-error sentencing-procedure Whether, to preserve for appeal a claim that the sentencing court committed procedural error by failing to explain its sentence adequately or relying …
25A253 Patrick Miller Webb, Jr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2025-09-02 Presumed Complete controlled-substance criminal-conviction federal-sentencing fifth-amendment pro-se sixth-amendment Whether the Fifth and Sixth Amendments permit a criminal conviction and sentence when the petitioner claims inadequate legal representation and limite…
25-5226 Nashaun Drake v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-07-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substance criminal-law federal-sentencing prior-conviction sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation When defining a controlled substance offense under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b) do courts look to the substances that were controlled on the date of the prior …
24-7303 Donterrian M. Lavender v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-05-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-appeal defendant-rights federal-sentencing sentencing substantive-reasonableness Whether Lavender's sentence is substantively unreasonable.
24-6827 Charles Anthony Giovinco v. Caryn Flowers, Warden Second Circuit 2025-03-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP agency-deference concurrent-sentences first-step-act recidivism-reduction statutory-interpretation time-credits Whether a prisoner serving concurrent sentences for both eligible and ineligible offenses is eligible for First Step Act time credits under 18 U.S.C. …
24-6674 Kevin Millette v. United States First Circuit 2025-02-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-jurisdiction compassionate-release criminal-procedure federal-sentencing habeas-corpus sentencing-modification Whether a federal district court's compassionate release order can be appealed after the defendant has been released from custody
24-6615 Gregory P. Damm v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-02-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure federal-sentencing hearsay plain-error revocation-proceeding supervised-release Can a federal supervised release defendant can ever obtain relief on plain error for the erroneous admission of hearsay in a revocation proceeding?
24-6106 In Re Freeman William Stanton 2024-12-10 Denied IFP concurrent-sentences guilty-plea ineffective-counsel mental-disability plea-agreement resentencing Whether the petitioner is entitled to resentencing based on ineffective counsel, plea agreement terms, and mental disability claims
24-6112 Dekeilon Marquel Johnson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-12-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender circuit-split federal-sentencing predicate-offense rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines Whether a career offender sentence should be determined based on predicate crimes at the time of sentencing or time of conviction given the current Ci…
24A550 Zackary Ellis Sanders v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-12-05 Presumed Complete appellate-review child-exploitation criminal-statute federal-sentencing fourth-circuit statutory-interpretation Whether the Fourth Circuit correctly interpreted the scope of criminal statutes related to child exploitation under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251 and 2252
24-5599 David Martins v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-09-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-knowledge drug-prosecution federal-sentencing mens-rea sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the government must prove a defendant's knowledge of drug type and quantity in a 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) prosecution when the drug type and quan…
24-5481 Cody Mercure v. United States First Circuit 2024-09-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure eighth-amendment federal-sentencing judicial-review proportionality sentencing-guidelines Whether a 300-month sentence for a federal offense violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on grossly disproportionate sentences due to potential …
24A237 Andre Michael Dubois v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-09-04 Presumed Complete amendment-821 criminal-procedure eleventh-circuit federal-sentencing retroactive-relief sentencing-guidelines Whether the retroactive application of United States Sentencing Guidelines Amendment 821 requires resentencing or relief for federal criminal defendan…
24-5224 Michael Paul Gianfrancesco v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-08-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review court-proceedings criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing jurisdiction sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness Sentencing-reasonableness
24-5086 Isaias Delgado v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-07-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP confrontation-clause constitutional-rights due-process fair-trial federal-law federal-sentencing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel self-incrimination Whether the government violated Mr. Delgado's right to due process and a fair trial by withholding evidence
23-7565 Juan Aguiera-Guzman v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-05-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-reasoning mitigation-arguments plain-error sentencing sentencing-discretion silent-record Whether the holding in Molina-Martinez applies to sentencing-errors, such as the clear Rule 32 violation here
23-7431 Avery Lans v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-05-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 abuse-of-discretion circuit-court-review criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states procedural-reasonableness sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness Did the Eleventh Circuit abused its discretion by the affirmance of Petitioner's 240-month federal sentence
23-7440 Michael Paul Puzey v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-05-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP bureau-of-prisons compassionate-release criminal-justice-reform federal-sentencing first-step-act judicial-review rehabilitation sentence-modification sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the First Step Act's compassionate release provision should be interpreted to allow for the consideration of a defendant's rehabilitation and …
23-7327 Zachariah Jay Histed v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-04-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-offense federal-sentencing judicial-discretion plea-bargaining sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether a defendant who pleads guilty, admits the substantive elements of the criminal charge, and spares the government the time and expense of a tri…
23-7256 John Pedelahore v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-04-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure district-court-discretion due-process eighth-amendment federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness supervised-release Whether the district court erred by ordering Mr. Pedelahore to serve 30 months in prison for nonviolent supervised release violations when the recomme…
23-7190 Trivansky Swington v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-04-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-conviction criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances eighth-circuit federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
23-6977 Dasmore T. Coleman v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-03-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-appeal criminal-sentencing defendant-rights due-process federal-sentencing procedural-history sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Whether Coleman's sentence is substantively unreasonable
23-6953 Anthony Lamont Mason, II v. United States Tenth Circuit 2024-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP federal-court federal-sentencing indian-major-crimes-act mandatory-minimum mcgirt-v-oklahoma sentencing-guidelines state-court state-sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether federal sentencing courts should treat a sentence that is optional in state court as mandatory in federal court under the Indian Major Crimes …
23-6854 Danny Lee Hampton v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-02-28 Denied Relisted (2)IFP armed-career-criminal-act circuit-split drug-schedules federal-drug-schedules federal-firearm-offense federal-sentencing prior-state-drug-offense sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-offense state-drug-offense Whether the 'serious drug offense' definition in the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) incorporates the federal drug schedules in effect at the time of…
23-6799 Leon King v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-02-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion legal-reasoning sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c) requires a sentencing court which rejects a defendant's nonfrivilous arguments in favor of a lower sentence to explain its…
23-6770 Juan Carlos Burns v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-02-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-1 18-usc-924 crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-criminal-law federal-sentencing second-degree-murder sentencing-enhancement statutory-definition statutory-interpretation violent-crime Does second-degree murder in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1 categorically qualify as a 'crime of violence' within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(8)(A)?
23-6751 Delon Joseph Adams v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-02-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924 concurrent-sentence concurrent-sentences criminal-law criminal-procedure federal-criminal-procedure federal-statute firearm-offense sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c)(1)(D)Gi) precludes a sentencing court from imposing a sentence for a Section 924(c) firearm offense partially concurr…
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
23A687 Danilo Arturo Velasquez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-01-24 Presumed Complete criminal-appeal federal-sentencing ninth-circuit rico-conspiracy sentencing-disparity statutory-interpretation Whether a federal court's sentencing decision that creates an alleged sentencing disparity violates the proportionality requirements of 18 U.S.C. § 35…
23-6499 Pete Manning v. United States Third Circuit 2024-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split controlled-substance criminal-procedure drug-schedules federal-law federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines state-law time-of-consequences time-of-conviction Whether the term 'controlled substance' is defined by the drug schedules that existed at the time of the prior predicate conviction, or the drug sched…
23-6476 Phillip Thomas Green v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-01-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP advisory-guidelines appellate-review constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing presumption-of-reasonableness rebuttal sentencing-guidelines What is required of defendants to provide a genuine rebuttal of the presumption of reasonableness for federal sentences under due process?
23-6461 Luis Armando Jimenez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-01-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure due-process federal-criminal-justice federal-sentencing guidelines judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines Under Rita v. United States, can a district court ignore a party's nonfrivolous arguments for a greater or lesser sentence
23-6452 Shannon R. Thomas v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-01-10 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP compassionate-release criminal-procedure federal-sentencing first-step-act jurisdiction jurisdictional-challenge retroactivity sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether a person who does not qualify for relief under the First Step Act can be convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) without jurisdiction
23A599 William Phillip Neidinger v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-01-02 Presumed Complete cruel-and-unusual due-process eighth-amendment federal-sentencing identity-preservation judicial-discretion Whether the Eighth Amendment prohibits imposing a federal prison sentence that effectively destroys a defendant's identity and constitutes cruel and u…
23-6387 Montgomery Lebeau v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-12-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP anticipated-imprisonment concurrent-sentence concurrent-sentences criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-interpretation same-incident sentencing-guidelines state-charges ussg-5g1.3(c) Whether a pending state charge arising out of the same incident as the federal case plainly qualifies as 'anticipated' under USSG § 5G1.3(c)?
23-6169 Juan Carlos Soto v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-12-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-USC-3553 appeal appellate-review criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process federal-sentencing ninth-circuit-court remand sentencing sentencing-guidelines Why does the Yeh Circuit Court of appeals Remand (Wmost Cases Where all of the appeal ant's Non-Frivolous Sentencing arguments are Not addressed by th…
23-6129 Jarmaine Carter v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-11-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach crime-of-violence extortion federal-sentencing ohio-revised-code ohio-robbery sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether Ohio robbery under Ohio Revised Code § 2911.02(A)(2) categorically matches the enumerated offense of 'extortion' under United States Sentencin…
23-6118 T'Shaun Omar Jones v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-11-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split controlled-substance federal-law federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines guideline-construction legal-definition state-law statutory-interpretation vehicle-for-review Is the definition of 'controlled substance' in the federal sentencing guidelines controlled by federal or state law?
23-6121 Jemare Ray McNair, aka Head v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-11-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal-waiver appeal-waivers career-offender criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing plea-agreement plea-bargaining sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether career offender status should be subject to appeal waivers in plea agreements where a defendant has a legitimate argument that he was not a ca…
23-6098 Ricardo Dinnall v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-11-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-justice criminal-procedure district-court federal-sentencing first-step-act judicial-discretion sentencing-reduction sentencing-reform statutory-interpretation Whether Concepcion v. United States, 142 S. Ct. 2389 (2022), requires district courts to consider all nonfrivolous arguments raised by the patties in …
23-6048 Elvis Redzepagic v. United States Second Circuit 2023-11-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law federal-sentencing material-support offense-level sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation terrorism terrorist-organizations Whether the correct offense level should be used in sentencing violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2339B(a)(1), (d)
23-5940 John Paul Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-11-02 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-authority delegation-of-authority due-process federal-sentencing judicial-authority judicial-delegation probation-officer sentencing-guidelines supervised-release Does Standard Condition 12 unconstitutionally delegate judicial authority to the probation officer?
23-5947 Kraig M. Trotter v. United States Third Circuit 2023-11-02 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP controlled-substances criminal-procedure deterrence due-process federal-sentencing methamphetamine methamphetamines proportional-punishment sentencing-guidelines third-circuit Did the Third Circuit err in failing to consider the disparity in sentencing under U.S.S.G §2D1.1(c) of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for methamph…
23-5832 William R. Abbott v. Loretta Otis-Sanders, et al. Fifth Circuit 2023-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights crack-cocaine criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment-cruel-and-unusual-punishment equal-protection fair-sentencing-act federal-sentencing federal-statute-of-limitations first-step-act prison-rape-elimination-act retroactivity whether the State of Louisiana Constitution's Equal Protection Clause embodies through the United States Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment
23-5773 Adrian De La Torre v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-10-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-authority delegation-of-authority due-process federal-sentencing judicial-authority judicial-delegation probation-officer sentencing-guidelines supervised-release Does Standard Condition 12 unconstitutionally delegate judicial authority to the probation officer?
23-5699 Jose J. Galiany-Cruz v. United States First Circuit 2023-10-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP compassionate-release criminal-justice criminal-procedure district-court district-court-authority extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines united-states-sentencing-guidelines Does a district court have the authority to determine what constitutes 'extraordinary and compelling reasons' warranting compassionate release or are …
23-5665 Shajuan Orlando Johnson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-09-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substances criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-convictions eighth-circuit federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
23-5556 William L. Gladney v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-09-12 Denied IFP circuit-split crack-cocaine federal-sentencing first-step-act offense-grouping rico sentencing sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation May district courts reduce the sentence of those convicted of covered and non-covered offenses under the First Step Act, when the offenses intertwined…
23-5512 Robinson Mendoza-Gomez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-09-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law criminal-procedure double-counting due-process enhancement-application federal-sentencing governmental-officer obstruction-of-justice sentencing-guidelines Whether the guidelines' enhancement for obstruction of justice requires some conduct above and beyond the conduct comprising the offense of conviction
23-5503 Roman Alvarado, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-08-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-authority delegation-of-authority due-process federal-sentencing judicial-authority judicial-delegation probation-officer sentencing-guidelines supervised-release Does Standard Condition 12 unconstitutionally delegate judicial authority to the probation officer?
23-5364 Christopher Alexander Nerius v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-08-16 Denied IFP armed-career-criminal-act career-offender-guideline controlled-substance-offense criminal-procedure federal-sentencing prior-conviction sentencing-guidelines timing-question united-states-sentencing-guidelines Whether, in determining if a prior offense is a 'controlled substance offense' for purposes of the career offender guideline, U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b), sen…
23-5304 Jaquantious Hutchison v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-08-09 Denied Relisted (2)IFP criminal-history federal-sentencing mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) is conjunctive or disjunctive
23-5236 Marvas Aurelien v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-07-28 Denied IFP circuit-split controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-sentencing drug-schedules federal-drug-schedules federal-law federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines state-drug-offenses Whether the 'controlled substance' definition in United States Sentencing Guideline § 4B1.2(b) incorporates the federal drug schedules in effect at th…
23-5159 Juan Jabari Hollis v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-07-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP advisory-guidelines appeal-waiver categorical-approach controlled-substance-offense controlled-substance-offenses criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing miscarriage-of-justice sentencing-guidelines waiver-of-appeal Whether the calculation of the defendant's advisory guideline range, which influenced the sentence imposed, constituted a miscarriage of justice when …
23-5170 Peter Robert Jordan, aka Richard Mercer v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-07-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggregate-sentence covered-counts criminal-law criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing first-step-act judicial-discretion non-covered-counts sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether Section 404(b) of the First Step Act authorizes the lower courts to impose a reduced aggregate sentence on both covered and non-covered counts…
23-46 United States v. Cassity Danielle Jones Fourth Circuit 2023-07-17 GVR Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) criminal-history criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines safety-valve sentencing sentencing-relief statutory-interpretation Whether a defendant must meet certain criminal history criteria to qualify for 'safety-valve' sentencing relief under 18 U.S.C. 3553(f)(1)
23-5113 Charleton Maxwell v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-07-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-circuit conservative-estimate criminal-procedure drug-quantity due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines walton-rule Whether a higher degree of protection is required by the due process clause when the sentencing judge uses a mere preponderance standard to determine …
23-5072 Dorothy Pearl Smith v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-07-12 Denied Relisted (2)IFP armed-career-criminal-act circuit-split drug-schedules federal-drug-schedules federal-firearm-offense federal-sentencing prior-state-drug-offense sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-offense statutory-interpretation Whether the 'serious drug offense' definition in the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) incorporates the federal drug schedules in effect at the time of…
23-5036 Brandon Mason v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-07-05 Denied Relisted (2)IFP federal firearm sentencing federal sentencing or prior state drug offense armed-career-criminal-act criminal-law criminal-statute drug-offense drug-schedules federal-drug-schedules federal-firearm-offense federal-sentencing jackson-v-united-states prior-state-drug-offense sentencing sentencing-enhancement state-drug-offense statutory-interpretation Whether the 'serious drug offense' definition in the Armed Career Criminal Act incorporates the federal drug schedules
22-7898 Anthony Lamart Lawrence v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-29 Denied IFP armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-conviction eighth-circuit federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-7903 Denvy Hoffman v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-29 Denied IFP armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-conviction eighth-circuit federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-7904 Andrew Ryan Demont v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-29 Denied IFP appellate-review armed-career-criminal circuit-split controlled-substance criminal-law drug-convictions federal-guidelines federal-sentencing sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of decontrolled substances can be used for federal sentencing enhancements
22-1239 Michael Jerome Files v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-26 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) concurrent-sentences crack-cocaine crack-cocaine-offenses district-court-discretion first-step-act powder-cocaine sentencing sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Does Section 404 of the First Step Act authorize district courts to impose a reduced sentence for both crack-cocaine offenses and related offenses tha…
22-7833 Jeremy Randall Ezell v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-06-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-presumption reasonableness-standard rita-v-united-states sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Whether the Court should clarify how a defendant who challenges the substantive reasonableness of a within-Guidelines sentence may rebut an appellate …
22-7807 Chayna Holguin v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-06-16 Denied Relisted (2)IFP criminal-history federal-sentencing first-step-act rule-of-lenity safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or' for determining eligibility for the 'safety valve' provision
22-7791 Clark Downs v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP 15-year-old circuit-court-review criminal-procedure drug-offense federal-sentencing interstate-commerce safety-valve sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reduction sexual-exploitation visual-depiction WHETHER THE EVIDENCE WAS LEGALLY INSUFFICIENT AS TO THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE ELEMENT ON COUNT ONE, WHICH CHARGED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A FIFTEEN YEAR …
22-7792 Diante Turman v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-15 Denied IFP appellate-review armed-career-criminal-act circuit-court-review circuit-split controlled-substance-offense criminal-conviction criminal-procedure district-court-discretion drug-offense drug-schedule drug-schedules federal-sentencing federal-sentencing federal-sentencing 22-7791" mcneill-precedent mcneill-v-united-states safety-valve sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reduction Whether the district court erred at sentencing in Does McNeill require courts to define 'controlled substance offenses' under Section 4B1.2(b) to include convictions under laws encompassing substances…
22-7702 Antonio Montero v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-06-05 Denied Relisted (2)IFP 18-usc-3553(f) criminal-history criminal-procedure federal-sentencing safety-valve sentence-reduction sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation whether-the-trial-judge-must-find-montero-violated-all-conditions-to-be-eligible-for-sentence-reduction
22-7675 Quanathan Naiji Knox Ivery v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-05-31 Denied IFP armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-conviction eighth-circuit federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-7659 Darrien D. Johnson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-05-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing first-step-act judicial-discretion motion-to-reduce sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the District Court abused its discretion when it denied Petitioner's motion for a reduced sentence under the First Step Act of 2018
22-7452 Lashawna Lashae Stewart v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-05-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP bank-robbery criminal-law criminal-statute divisible-offense double-jeopardy federal-sentencing sentencing statutory-interpretation uniform-administration united-states-code Does 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) define a single offense or two separate and divisible offenses?
22-7359 Devin Baker v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-04-25 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP controlled-substances criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-convictions drug-offense federal-sentencing prior-convictions sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Can a federal judge impose a sentence enhancement based on a prior drug conviction inclusive of a substance that is no longer controlled at the time o…
22-7336 Shawn Kaleb Drake v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-04-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP bureau-of-prisons credit criminal-procedure duty-to-determine federal-sentence federal-sentencing judicial-discretion presentence-detention sentencing Whether a district court has a duty to determine on its own whether the Bureau of Prisons will give credit for presentence detention time when a defen…
22-7261 Susan Elise Prophet v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-04-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 abuse-of-discretion appellate-review compassionate-release criminal-procedure eighth-circuit federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentence-reduction sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit abused its discretion in denying Prophet's Motion for Compassionate Release/Reductio…
22-7059 Aaron M. Haynes v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-03-21 Denied Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-history-points criminal-justice federal-sentencing first-step-act mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reform statutory-interpretation Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or'
22-851 United States v. Julian Garcon Eleventh Circuit 2023-03-08 Dismissed Response RequestedRelisted (2) criminal-history criminal-history-points criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines jurisdiction safety-valve sentencing sentencing-relief statutory-interpretation Whether the defendant satisfies the prerequisites for 'safety-valve' sentencing relief under 18 U.S.C. 3553(f)(1)
22-6902 Roger Bryant Harbin v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-03-02 Denied Relisted (2)IFP controlled-substances criminal-law decontrol drug-convictions drug-policy due-process equal-protection federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-828 Roger E. Pace v. United States Seventh Circuit 2023-03-01 Denied Relisted (2) circuit-split criminal-history federal-sentencing mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or' for safety-valve relief from mandatory-minimum sentences
22-6881 James Clark, III v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-02-28 Denied IFP controlled-substances criminal-law drug-convictions drug-policy due-process federal-sentencing retroactivity sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-6825 Richie Lee Edmonds, III v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-02-21 Denied Relisted (2)IFP controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-history criminal-law drug-distribution due-process federal-sentencing federalism sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a prior state conviction for drug distribution qualifies as a 'controlled substance offense' under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b)
22-6803 Mario C. Thomas v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-02-16 Denied Relisted (2)IFP criminal-history criminal-history-points criminal-procedure federal-sentencing mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. §3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or'
22-6808 Erich Deolax Riker v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-02-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process fact-finding federal-sentencing jury-finding jury-trial sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness Whether a factual finding that is necessary to render a federal sentence substantively reasonable must be found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt
22-6732 David Alvarado-Rios v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-02-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-discretion presumption-of-reasonableness rita-v-united-states sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness How does a defendant who challenges the substantive reasonableness of a within-Guidelines sentence rebut an appellate presumption of reasonableness?
22-6699 Marquita Leigh Meredith v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-02-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP compassionate-release criminal-procedure district-court federal-sentencing policy-statement sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether a 2007 policy statement binds a district court in deciding a defendant's motion for compassionate release
22-6626 Jonathan Jefferson Ferris v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-01-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-authority due-process federal-sentencing judicial-authority judicial-delegation probation-officer sentencing-guidelines separation-of-powers supervised-release Does Standard Condition 12 unconstitutionally delegate judicial authority to the probation officer?
22-6628 Johnell Lewis Britton, Sr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-01-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure fact-specific-reasons federal-sentencing judicial-discretion non-guidelines-sentences procedural-error reasonableness-standard sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether district courts are required to articulate fact-specific reasons for imposing non-guidelines sentences?
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…
22-6510 Daniel Marmolejo v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-01-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-authority due-process federal-sentencing judicial-authority judicial-delegation probation-officer sentencing-commission separation-of-powers supervised-release Does Standard Condition 12 unconstitutionally delegate judicial authority to the probation officer?
22-6444 Stephen Duane Burgess v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-01-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP crime-of-violence criminal-law double-jeopardy due-process federal-sentencing federal-statute second-degree-murder sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation violent-crime Whether a conviction for federal 'second degree murder' under 18 U.S.C. § 1(a) is a 'crime of violence' under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3)
22-6432 Edward Sanchez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-12-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-assault categorical-approach circuit-split federal-sentencing generic-offense model-penal-code taylor-v-united-states Whether the Fifth Circuit's exclusive reliance on the MPC misapplies the categorical approach announced by this Court in Taylor v. United States, 495 …
22-6418 Christopher Brian Cosimano v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-12-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals crime-of-violence criminal-law due-process eleventh-circuit federal-criminal-law federal-sentencing first-degree-murder omission-liability statutory-interpretation violent-crime Whether the Eleventh Circuit erred by finding that Florida's First-Degree Premeditated Murder Statute is categorically a crime of violence for purpose…
22-6408 Samuel Lawrence Wood v. Mike Brown, Warden Sixth Circuit 2022-12-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process federal-review federal-sentencing habeas-corpus sentencing state-prisoner state-sentencing statutory-authority Whether a state court can impose a sentence to commence at the completion of a federal sentence in the absence of statutory authority
22-6391 Nonami Palomares v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-12-23 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (3)IFP criminal-history drug-crimes drug-offense federal-sentencing mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a defendant is ineligible for relief from a mandatory minimum sentence if her criminal history runs afoul of any one of the disqualifying crit…
22-6364 Fairly W. Earls v. Federal Bureau of Prisons Seventh Circuit 2022-12-21 Dismissed IFP concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences constitutional-rights double-jeopardy due-process federal-sentence sentencing sentencing-guidelines state-sentence Whether Earls should have to serve the same Federal Sentence a Second Time
22-6246 Antonio Osorio-Mendez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-authority due-process federal-sentencing judicial-authority judicial-delegation probation-officer sentencing-commission separation-of-powers supervised-release Does Standard Condition 12 unconstitutionally delegate judicial authority to the probation officer?
22-6132 Michael Dominick Mencher v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-11-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment categorical-approach crime-of-violence criminal-law due-process federal-criminal-law federal-sentencing first-degree-murder sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation violent-crime Whether Florida's First-Degree Premeditated Murder Statute is categorically a crime of violence for purposes of 18 U.S.C.§ 924(C)?
22-6104 Esteban Parra-Reyes v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-11-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion circuit-court-review compassionate-release criminal-justice federal-sentencing judicial-discretion ninth-circuit prisoner-rights sentencing summary-affirmance Whether the Denial of Esteban Para Reyes's Motion for Compassionate Release Was an Abuse of Discretion?
22-6025 Christopher Alan Mitchell v. United States Sixth Circuit 2022-11-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review concurrent-sentences criminal-procedure district-court final-order finality habeas-corpus section-2255 sentencing sentencing-range statutory-interpretation Whether an order granting relief and resentencing under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 is final when the order changes the statutory sentencing range
22-5877 Onterrail Remond Altman, Jr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-10-20 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP categorical-approach circuit-split controlled-substances criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-convictions eighth-circuit federal-sentencing prior-convictions sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-5847 Lindsey Orr v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion judicial-review sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation term-of-imprisonment When are the 3553(c) factors satisfied?
22-5832 Robert Joseph Schmitt v. Texas Texas 2022-10-13 Denied IFP concurrent-sentences criminal-sentencing cumulation due-process legislative-intent sentence-cumulation statutory-interpretation texas-law texas-legislature trial-court Was respondent denied due process of law when the trial court cumulated respondent's two twenty year sentences when the law in effect enacted by the T…
22-5665 Geoffrie Dill v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-09-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-law drug-offense federal-jurisdiction federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Does 'controlled substance offense' refer only to substances prohibited by the Controlled Substance Act?
22-5569 Dylan Darelle Scott v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-09-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach circuit-split criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-convictions federal-sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
22-5480 Manuel Ralios-Chajal v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-08-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-fact-finding jury-trial reasonable-doubt sentencing Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?
22-5449 Antonio Rodriguez, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-08-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-conflict controlled-substance controlled-substance-offense drug-trafficking federal-conviction federal-drug-trafficking federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Is it obvious error to find a prior federal drug trafficking conviction is a 'controlled substance offense' under the Sentencing Guidelines when the s…
22-5427 Jade Christian Nichols v. United States Tenth Circuit 2022-08-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substance criminal-procedure federal-law federal-sentencing preemption sentencing-guidelines state-law statutory-interpretation Does a state definition of 'controlled substance' control a federal sentencing enhancement under the Sentencing Guidelines, when the state lists subst…
22-5342 Patrick LaJuan Jones, Jr. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2022-08-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substance criminal-procedure federal-law federal-sentencing preemption sentencing-guidelines state-law statutory-interpretation Does a state definition of 'controlled substance' control a federal sentencing enhancement under the Sentencing Guidelines, when the state lists subst…
22-5303 George Daniel McGavitt v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-08-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-sentencing minor-sexual-conduct minors sentencing-guidelines sexual-offense-definition sexual-offenses statutory-interpretation Whether self-penetration by a minor (not prepubescent) using a benign household item is 'sadistic or masochistic' under USSG § 2G2.1(b)(4)(A)
22-5260 David Perez v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-08-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP attempted-murder federal-sentencing racketeering-activity rico rico-sentencing sentencing state-law state-law-maximum statutory-interpretation statutory-maximum Whether a sentencing court is bound by the state statutory maximum exposure for RICO violations based on state racketeering activities
22-5232 Jesus Javier Cruz-Hernandez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-07-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-presumption reasonableness-standard rita-v-united-states sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Whether the Court should clarify how a defendant who challenges the substantive reasonableness of a within-Guidelines sentence may rebut an appellate …
22-49 Efrain Lora v. United States Second Circuit 2022-07-19 Judgment Issued Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) circuit-split concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-law criminal-procedure federal-criminal-law mandatory-minimums sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(D)(ii) applies to sentences imposed under 18 U.S.C. § 924(j)
22-5132 Joe Octavio Granado v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-07-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3583 concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences district-court incarceration liberty-deprivation liberty-interest revocation sentencing statutory-interpretation supervised-release Whether the District Court, in revoking supervised release, excessively sentenced Petitioner with consecutive incarceration from an original concurren…
22-5028 Damien Dre Gonzales v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-07-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP adam-walsh-act appeals commerce-clause criminal-procedure district-court federal-kidnapping federal-sentencing guidelines-error harmless-error sentencing-guidelines Is a district court's Guidelines error always harmless when the court states that it would have imposed the same sentence regardless of the Guidelines…
21-8247 Johnathan Carter v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-06-28 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP abduction abduction-enhancement bank-robbery circuit-split criminal-law criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a person is 'abducted' within the meaning of § 2B1.3(b)(4)(A) if he is moved or ordered to move only a short distance within the same building…
21-8127 Russell Kimble Jackson, aka Russell Kimble Jackson, V v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-06-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach circuit-split criminal-sentencing decontrolled-substances drug-convictions federal-sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether prior drug convictions inclusive of substances that have since been decontrolled can be used to impose present day federal sentencing enhancem…
21-8079 Kenyad Laquan Kelly v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-06-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court due-process federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion legal-standard sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review Whether the District Court Erred in Applying a Different Starting Point for Defendant's Sentence than the United States Sentencing Guidelines?
21-8062 Bryant Love v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-06-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924 armed-career-criminal-act categorical-approach criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing modified-categorical-approach sentencing-enhancement state-supreme-court statutory-interpretation violent-felony When applying the categorical and modified categorical approach sentencing courts are instructed to use a state's statutory definition to determine if…
21-7936 Jeffrey E. Akard v. Denis R. McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Federal Circuit 2022-05-23 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP benefits civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing habeas-corpus incarceration retroactive-rule section-2255 special-appointment standing substantive-law Whether a disabled veteran has personal stake, interest, or standing to seek that his withheld 2021 benefit, due to his incarceration, receive a 'spec…
21-1414 Barton Ray Crandall v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-05-04 Denied Response Waived 18-usc-3582(c)(1)(A) 18-usc-924(c) criminal-law criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons extraordinary-circumstances federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentence-reduction sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether a district court may consider the 2018 amendment to the sentences mandated by 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) in determining whether a defendant has shown …
21-7767 Michael Don Billups v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-05-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP advisory-opinions appellate-review district-court federal-sentencing judicial-discretion prejudice prejudicial-error sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review Whether courts of appeals evaluating the prejudicial effect of a Guideline error must accept a district court's claim that the Guidelines exerted no i…
21-7662 Michael Wayne Cook v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-04-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP advisory-opinions appellate-review district-court district-court-discretion federal-sentencing judicial-standard prejudice prejudicial-error sentencing-guidelines Whether courts of appeals evaluating the prejudicial effect of a Guideline error must accept a district court's claim that the Guidelines exerted no i…
21-7625 Jonathan Scott May v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-04-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure district-court enhancement federal-sentencing judicial-discretion plain-error sentencing-guidelines Did the district court plainly err when applying an enhancement under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 2G2.2(b)(5)?
21-7586 Jaako Williams v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-04-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-sentencing generic-offense robbery sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation texas-penal-code texas-robbery violent-crime Whether Texas robbery is a crime of violence under the United States Sentencing Guideline § 4B1.2's generic, enumerated offenses clause
21-7520 Isaiah Wilson v. United States Second Circuit 2022-04-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924 2nd-amendment burglary-statute career-offender civil-rights crime-of-violence due-process federal-sentencing free-speech sentencing-guidelines standing statutory-interpretation Whether the court should exercise its discretion under Romer v. Evans to resolve a circuit split amongst the sister circuits regarding New Jersey's th…
21-7438 Tramone Horne v. United States Sixth Circuit 2022-03-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines judicial-discretion judicial-review preponderance-of-evidence sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Should the Court require proof by more than a preponderance of the evidence of facts that significantly increase the defendant's sentence range under …
21-7405 Joshua Guity-Nunez v. United States Third Circuit 2022-03-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-section-1594 appeal base-offense-level criminal-conviction criminal-law criminal-statute due-process federal-sentencing human-trafficking sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether Petitioner, who was convicted of 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c), is subject to a Base Offense Level of 34 or 14?
21-7393 Travis Ryan Skaggs v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-03-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-802 21-usc-841 concurrent-sentences first-step-act sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-felony statutory-interpretation term-of-imprisonment Whether the District Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals erred by holding that Mr. Skaggs' conviction in Wise County, Virginia on July 27, 2…
21-7351 Miguel Angel Cruz-Polanco, aka Luis Hernandez v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility criminal-procedure federal-sentencing plain-error plea-bargaining sentencing-guidelines Whether the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Mandate a Plea of Guilty and Guarantee a Point Reduction on Acceptance of Responsibility
21-7245 Julia Ann Poff v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-03-02 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-rights compassionate-release criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing habeas-corpus pro-se pro-se-filing sentence-reduction sentencing Whether a defendant who is not represented by an attorney can be denied the right to file a pro se motion for compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § …
21-7226 Christopher Ronald Martin v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-02-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law federal-jurisdiction federal-sentencing generic-robbery mens-rea recklessness sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether generic robbery, as used in federal sentencing enhancement provisions, encompasses robbery offenses that only require a mens rea of mere reckl…
21-7158 Alfonso Lopez-Rodriguez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-02-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach circuit-split criminal-law divisibility elements-means elements-versus-means federal-sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation statutory-text What role does the text of a statute play in the divisibility analysis under the categorical approach?
21-1118 Duianete Moore v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-02-11 Denied Response Waived career-offender criminal-history criminal-law due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines juvenile-conviction juvenile-offenses predicate-offense sentencing sentencing-guidelines Is a conviction committed 24 years ago, when Petitioner was 16 years old, a proper predicate offense for classification of Career Offender status purs…
21-6992 Michael Rocky Lane v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-01-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review compassionate-release criminal-justice criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing ninth-circuit sentencing summary-affirmance Whether the denial of Michael Lane's motion for compassionate release was an abuse of discretion?
21-6671 Valente Arias-Avila v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-12-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-split criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion sentencing-factors standard-of-review Can appellate courts reweigh sentencing factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)
21-905 Nathaniel Rimpson, III, Charles Scott, and Carl Buggs v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-12-20 Denied Response Waived 18-usc-3582c1a 18-usc-924c circuit-split criminal-law criminal-sentencing extraordinary-circumstances federal-sentencing sentence-reduction sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether a district court may consider the 2018 amendment to the sentences mandated by 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) in determining whether a defendant has shown …
21-6658 Donald Ray Johnson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-12-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure federal-courts federal-sentencing guideline-commentary judicial-deference judicial-interpretation sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation Whether federal sentencing courts are bound by the illustrations found in Guideline Commentary?
21-6570 Bo Jack Kelley v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-12-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-fact-finding jury-trial reasonable-doubt sentencing Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?
21-829 Timothy Scott Hardin v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-12-03 Denied Amici (1)Response Waived 18-usc-2252 18-usc-2252a age-of-consent categorical-approach criminal-law federal-sentencing minor sentencing-enhancement sentencing-enhancements state-statutes statutory-interpretation Whether a conviction under state statutes criminalizing consensual sex between a 21-year-old and a 17-year-old constitutes a predicate offense for fed…
21-6357 Kenneth Roshaun Reid v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-11-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-violation criminal-procedure due-process fair-sentencing-act federal-sentencing habeas-corpus ineffective-counsel jurisdiction procedural-default retroactivity sentencing Whether the district court erred in denying Mr. Reid a fair hearing for resentencing and failing to bring him back to court for the application of the…
21-767 Clinton Williams v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-11-23 Denied Amici (1) 18-usc-3582(c)(1)(a) 18-usc-924(c) circuit-split criminal-law extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons extraordinary-circumstances federal-sentencing first-step-act judicial-discretion sentence-reduction sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether a district court may consider the 2018 amendment to the sentences mandated by 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) in determining whether a defendant has shown …
21-6282 Tannous Fazah v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-11-15 Denied IFP circuit-split criminal-sentencing drug-conspiracy due-process federal-sentencing mandatory-minimum misdemeanor-reclassification prior-conviction prior-convictions retroactive-reclassification sentence-enhancement Whether the sentence enhancements for prior felony drug convictions apply to state felony convictions that have been recalled and resentenced as misde…
21-6256 Macario Andrew Gomez, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-11-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing jury-determination jury-trial reasonable-doubt sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?
21-6178 Henry Baird v. United States Third Circuit 2021-11-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-defense criminal-law drug-cases entrapment federal-drug-cases federal-sentencing judicial-doctrine manipulation sentencing sentencing-entrapment Whether the court should resolve the circuit split on recognizing sentencing entrapment and sentencing manipulation doctrines as viable defenses at se…
21-6105 Saul Hernandez-Serrano v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-10-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP courts-of-appeals federal-sentencing molina-martinez-v-united-states numerical-range-of-imprisonment presumption-of-prejudice sentencing-guidelines Whether the presumption of prejudice recognized in Molina-Martinez v. United States extends to Federal Sentencing Guideline errors that do not affect …
21-6062 Craig Schenvinsky James v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-10-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-court-conflict circuit-split criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-review sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation Whether the Sentencing Commission's comments take precedent over the plain, statutorily construed language of the United States Sentencing Guidelines
21-6028 Johnny Jasper Williams v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-10-20 GVR IFP borden-v-united-states crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-sentencing intervening-development sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation texas-robbery ussg-4b1.2 Whether the Texas offense of simple robbery by injury, Tex. Penal Code §29.02(a)(1) constitutes a 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2?
21-5982 Marcus Matthews v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-court-interpretation circuit-court-precedent controlled-substance-offense controlled-substances criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines georgia-criminal-code sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation united-states-sentencing-guidelines Does a conviction under OCGA § 16-13-30 qualify as a 'controlled substance offense' for purposes of enhancing a defendant's sentence under USSG § 2K2.…
21-5985 DeCarlos Titington v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-10-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences constitutional-rights criminal-sentencing discharged-sentences due-process equal-protection relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines undischarged-sentences Equal protection and due process rights for discharged vs. undischarged sentences
21-551 John J. Watford v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-10-14 Denied Amici (2) 18-usc-3582(c)(1)(a) 18-usc-924(c) 18-USC-924c circuit-split criminal-law extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons extraordinary-circumstances federal-sentencing sentence-reduction sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether a district court may consider the 2018 amendment to the sentences mandated by 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) in determining whether a defendant has shown …
21-5787 In Re Randall Thomas McArty 2021-09-24 Dismissed IFP civil-rights compassionate-release criminal-procedure due-process extraordinary-circumstances federal-procedure federal-sentencing habeas-corpus parole sentencing sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether 28 U.S.C. §2254 would function as a recognition of habeas corpus jurisdiction, declaring judgment and injunctive relief to enjoin respondents'…
21-5694 Shawn Travis Paschal v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-09-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights elements-of-offense federal-sentencing maximum-sentence minimum-sentence sentencing Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be treated as elements of the defendant's offense for constitutional…
21-5657 Chris Eugene Cosner v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-09-13 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP armed-bank-robbery armed-robbery career-offender categorical-approach crime-of-violence criminal-law elements-clause federal-criminal-law federal-sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether armed bank robbery constitutes a crime of violence under the categorical approach of the elements clause of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
21-5639 Siliaivaoese Fuimaona v. D. Hudson, Warden Tenth Circuit 2021-09-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences criminal-appeal custody federal-bureau-of-prisons federal-procedure habeas-corpus judicial-review ninth-circuit parole sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas erred in holding that the petitioner wa…
21-5508 Marc Norfleet v. John R. Baldwin, et al. Seventh Circuit 2021-08-27 Denied IFP 18-U.S.C.-3582 access-to-courts civil-rights compassionate-release due-process equal-protection federal-sentencing indigent-status prisoner-rights sanctions sentence-modification statutory-interpretation Whether the district court's imposition of a 2-year ban on Petitioner from filing any civil actions in the district court, and the denial of Petitione…
21-5477 Clifford Senter v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-08-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act collateral-attack criminal-law due-process federal-procedure federal-sentencing non-existent-offense sentencing-enhancement state-conviction state-law Where state law holds that a particular offense is non-existent, but a defendant has a conviction for the non-existent offense, and a federal sentenci…
21-5400 Maria Gonzalez Maldonado v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-08-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof conspiracy criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-conspiracy drug-trafficking federal-sentencing methamphetamine-possession minor-participant sentencing sentencing-guidelines Did Maria Gonzalez Maldonado conspire to possess and/or actually and knowingly possess between 5kg-15kg kilograms of methamphetamine pursuant to U.S.S…
21-5244 Burudi Jarade Faison v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-07-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause commerce-jurisprudence congressional-power constitutional-interpretation federal-sentencing firearm-possession overrule precedent scarborough-v-us tenth-amendment us-v-lopez If the current precedent case law for commerce jurisprudence, i.e, U.S. Lopez 514 US 549, conflicts with another currently-applied case decision, i.e,…
21-5044 Ncholeion Kashana Hollie v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-07-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP abduction abduction-definition change-in-location circuit-split criminal-procedure federal-sentencing robbery robbery-enhancement sentencing-guidelines ussg-2b3.1 Whether the Robbery guideline 'abduction' enhancement under USSG § 2B3.1(b)(4)(A) requires moving a person to a place separate from the site of the ro…
21-5011 Anthony Farmer v. United States First Circuit 2021-07-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 abuse-of-discretion criminal-justice criminal-law federal-sentencing judicial-discretion public-confidence racial-disparities racial-disparity sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a district court can or should consider the need to avoid unwarranted racial disparities in sentencing
20-8388 Jonathan Aaron Leal v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-06-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal-waiver appellate-review due-process federal-sentencing illegal-sentence plea-agreement post-conviction-relief Should an appeal waiver provision in a plea agreement bar appellate or post-conviction relief from an illegal federal sentence?
20-8172 Jorge Antonio Perez, aka Steven Mark Hamm v. Gavin Newsom, et al. Ninth Circuit 2021-05-28 Denied IFP civil-rights constitutional-due-process constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-court federal-sentencing free-speech judicial-interpretation prior-conviction-doctrine standing state-secrets-doctrine Whether the circuit court erred in ruling against the petitioner and finding violations of the state-secrets-doctrine
20-8094 Corey L. Johnson v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-05-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP covered-offense criminal-law drug-conspiracy federal-sentencing first-step-act multi-object-conspiracy rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-retroactivity statutory-interpretation Where there is ambiguity as to which penalty applies in a multi-object conspiracy that is a covered offense pursuant to the First Step Act of 2018, do…
20-1593 Devon E. Sanders v. United States Third Circuit 2021-05-18 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-law disaggregation double-jeopardy federal-sentencing paroline-v-united-states restitution sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the Double Jeopardy Clause takes into account only the essential facts for establishing the elements of two offenses
20-8016 Rico Blackwell v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-05-13 Denied IFP actual-innocence collateral-attack-waiver criminal-procedure davis-challenge federal-sentencing habeas-corpus plea-bargaining procedural-default residual-clause section-924c statutory-interpretation statutory-maximum Whether a defendant can ever show cause and prejudice to avoid the procedural default bar on a meritorious Davis challenge to a § 924(c) conviction?
20-8021 Jason Scott Pedro v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-05-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure federal-sentencing guidelines harmless-error procedural-error sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review statutory-maximum Can a significant procedural error be deemed harmless when the sentencing judge uses the statutory maximum as the baseline for imposition of sentence?
20-7936 Jose Oribel Ponce-Ulloa v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-05-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure drug-offense federal-courts federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines temporal-connection ussg-2d1.1 weapon-possession Whether a sentencing court can add two offense levels for possession of a weapon under USSG § 2D1.1(b)(1) when the gun is not used nor present in the …
20-7832 Chadwick Marvin Thompson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-04-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 compassionate-release criminal-procedure extraordinary-circumstances federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation What qualifies as 'extraordinary and compelling circumstances' under a Motion for Compassionate release, 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(1) (A)?
20-7778 Gerald Scott v. United States Second Circuit 2021-04-15 Denied Amici (1)IFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-statute federal-sentencing physical-force physical-inaction rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation use-of-force Does a crime of physical inaction, in which the inaction is deemed the cause of injury or death, have as an element the 'use of physical force against…
20-7580 Trinidad Jesus Garcia v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-03-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review civil-procedure criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing individualized-circumstances judicial-discretion plain-error reasonableness sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether formal objection to sentencing is necessary to invoke plain error review of the reasonableness of a sentence
20-7524 Mathew Ryan Byrd v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-03-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-challenge criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing fourth-amendment habeas-corpus judicial-review parolee probationer search-and-seizure Whether the Fourth Amendment prohibits the warrantless search and seizure of a person's home and personal effects based solely on the person's status …
20-7410 Edward McCain v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-03-11 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP case-remand certiorari concurrent-sentences criminal-procedure eighth-amendment fourth-circuit-judgment jones-v-mississippi judicial-review juvenile-offenders plain-error sentencing supreme-court-procedure Whether an invalid conviction affects a criminal defendant's substantial rights and must be vacated on plain error review
20-7369 Antonia Janai Hickmon v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-03-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-fact-finding jury-trial reasonable-doubt sentencing Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?
20-7213 Nathan Ray Dent v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-02-23 Denied Relisted (2)IFP armed-bank-robbery armed-robbery circuit-split crime-of-violence criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing habeas-corpus predicate-offense statutory-interpretation united-states-v-davis Whether an 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) conviction resting on more than one possible predicate offense is unconstitutional where at least one predicate does not…
20-7215 Sunni Askari Newell v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-02-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment eighth-circuit federal-sentencing firearms firearms-possession sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the Eighth Circuit has misconstrued U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B), contrary to every other circuit, resulting in defendants convicted of firearms …
20-7204 Shane Faithful v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-02-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-distribution criminal-law federal-sentencing medical-care medical-prescription prescription-drugs sentencing sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation Whether a physician who prescribes a controlled substance to a patient for reasons other than medical care has unlawfully 'dispensed' the substance, u…
20-7138 Patrick Begay v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-02-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 aggravated-assault criminal-procedure federal-sentencing guidelines judicial-discretion native-american native-american-defendants sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation united-states-sentencing-commission Whether a district court may consider reports generated by the United States Sentencing Commission's advisory groups that concluded the Guidelines for…
20-6794 Oscar Guevara Salamanca v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-01-07 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-rights due-process federal-sentencing illegal-reentry judicial-discretion prior-conviction revocation-of-probation right-to-be-heard sentencing-enhancement state-sentencing May a federal district court enhance a federal sentence based on a prior sentence imposed by way of a clear and complete deprivation of the individual…
20-6754 Alford Donta Tarpley v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-01-04 Denied IFP borden-v-united-states burris-v-united-states crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-sentencing precedent robbery sentencing sentencing-guidelines texas-law ussg-4b1.2 Whether the Texas offense of robbery by injury constitutes a 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2?
20-6666 Sebastian L. Eccleston v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-12-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP bureau-of-prisons concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-justice due-process federal-prisoner federal-sentencing sentencing-statutes state-judiciary Whether federal sentencing statutes and the Constitution require the Bureau of Prisons to execute the sentence of a federal prisoner to effectuate the…
20-6631 Aaron Sebastian Redmond v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-12-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP advisory-sentencing constitutional-law district-court-discretion due-process federal-sentencing fifth-circuit guidelines-error harmless-error sentencing-error sentencing-guidelines Whether the Fifth Circuit's rule that a Guidelines error is harmless if the district court states it would have imposed the same sentence regardless o…
20-6552 Ignacio Arreola-Mendoza v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-12-08 GVR Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-sentencing immigration immigration-law reckless-mental-state sentencing statutory-interpretation use-of-force Whether a statute has as an element the use of force against the person of another when a conviction under that statute can be based on a reckless men…
20-6541 Alejandro Pineda-Campuzano v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-12-07 GVR Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-sentencing immigration immigration-law reckless-mental-state sentencing statutory-interpretation use-of-force Whether a statute has as an element the use of force against the person of another when a conviction under that statute can be based on a reckless men…
20-6517 Elvis Basic v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-12-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof circuit-split criminal-procedure drug-quantity federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review Whether a federal district court must use the 'err on the side of caution' principle when approximating the drug quantity?
20-6539 Alfonso Lopez-Rodriguez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-12-04 GVR Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-law federal-sentencing immigration immigration-law physical-force reckless-mental-state sentencing statutory-interpretation supreme-court Whether a statute has as an element the use of physical force against the person or property of another, for purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 16(a), when a con…
20-6409 Hugo Humberto Perez Rangel v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-11-24 Denied IFP advisory-opinions appellate-review criminal-procedure federal-sentencing guideline-error harmless-error incentive-to-object judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Whether Guideline error is necessarily harmless if the district court is presented with the Guideline range later vindicated on appeal and disclaims a…
20-6332 Cecil Salyers v. Kentucky Kentucky 2020-11-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences constitutional-interpretation criminal-procedure ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice sentencing-prejudice sixth-amendment strickland strickland-standard Whether the Kentucky Court of Appeals correctly interpreted the Sixth Amendment in holding the petitioner cannot demonstrate prejudice under Stricklan…
20-6281 Kevin Lamar Ratliff v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-11-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP amendment-782 career-offender criminal-law criminal-procedure discretion federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines guideline-amendment judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether the Lower Courts have discretion to reduce Petitioner's sentence under U.S.S. Guideline Amendment 782, regardless of Petitioner's career offen…
20-6282 Darius Tirrell Thomas v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-11-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing-guidelines sixth-circuit statutory-interpretation u.s.-code Whether the Trial Court Erred in Finding the Defendant to Be a 'Career Offender' and Sentencing Him Accordingly
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…
20-6180 Naquan Reyes v. United States Second Circuit 2020-11-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 court-of-appeals criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court federal-sentencing procedural-reasonableness procedural-unreasonableness sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation supreme-court Whether the Court of Appeals erred in rejecting Reyes's contention that the sentence was procedurally unreasonable based on the district court's failu…
20-6027 Michael Moore v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-10-15 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3)IFP appellate-review controlled-substances criminal-law federal-sentencing gvr mens-rea rehaif-v-united-states statutory-interpretation Whether §924(e)(2)(A)(ii) requires knowledge of the substance's illicit nature
20-5948 Christopher Michael Sevier v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-10-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-assault borden-precedent crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-sentencing guidelines remand sentencing sentencing-guidelines supreme-court texas-law violent-crime Whether the Texas offense of aggravated assault by threat constitutes a 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2?
20-5951 Joshua Scott Richards v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-10-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness u.s.-sentencing-commission u.s.s.g.-§-2g2.2 Whether a sentence imposed pursuant to the United States Sentencing Guidelines covering the crimes of accessing or possessing child pornography, U.S.S…
20-5937 Rosa Enedia Pazos Cingari v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-10-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-law authority commentary federal-sentencing guideline-commentary inconsistency judicial-interpretation legal-authority sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation Whether United States Sentencing Guideline Commentary which adds to a sentencing guideline is necessarily inconsistent with the guideline such that th…
20-5857 Alimamy Barrie v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-10-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-USC-3582 criminal-procedure discretion federal-sentencing guidelines judicial-discretion retroactivity sentencing sentencing-amendment statutory-interpretation Whether a post-sentencing clarifying guideline amendment is applicable to a defendant
20-5812 Jason Andrew Dunlap v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-09-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility criminal-procedure defendant-responsibility federal-sentencing guilty-plea offense-level plea-bargaining sentencing-guidelines Whether the sentencing Guidelines limit the maximum offense level to 43, so that, there is a reduction when a defendant accepts responsibility by ente…
20-5772 Michael Portanova v. United States Third Circuit 2020-09-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach child-pornography circuit-split criminal-law federal-sentencing prior-conviction sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether the 'categorical approach' may be disregarded or 'loosened' in child-pornography cases
20-5709 Rickey Cole v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-09-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP and proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt? placed in the indictment burden-of-proof constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing grand-jury indictment jury-trial sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be found by a grand jury, placed in the indictment, and proven to a …
20-5561 Craig Edward Hunnicutt, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-09-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review discretion federal-sentencing first-step-act guidelines judicial-discretion motion-denial sentence-reduction sentencing Whether the Sixth Circuit erred by refusing to review the denial of the defendant's First Step Act motion
20-5586 Jose Zamudio-Silva v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-09-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure federal-sentencing sentencing-departures sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness When considering guidelines rulings, should appellate courts review the decision to depart from the guideline range in the same way as other guideline…
20-5549 Javier Lopez-Garcia v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-09-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review credibility-determination credibility-determinations fact-finding factual-issues federal-sentencing judicial-standard precedent reasonableness-review standard-of-review wrongful-incarceration Whether review for reasonableness in federal sentencing requires a separate, more deferential, standard of review for credibility determinations than …
20-5424 Alfred Lee Hanzy, Jr. v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-08-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing fourth-circuit gall-precedent gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion procedural-reasonableness sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Whether the Fourth Circuit's decision is in conflict with the Court's decision in Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38 (2007)
20-5433 Gregory Wind v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-08-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-deference circuit-split deference district-court federal-courts-of-appeals federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-review standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Did the district court impose a substantively unreasonable sentence upon Mr. Wind?
20-5408 Robert Richard Jodoin v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-08-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-offense due-process eighth-amendment federal-sentencing military-veteran non-violent-offense reasonableness-review sentencing sentencing-guidelines veteran-status Whether a 130-month prison sentence for a non-violent, drug dealing, 50-year-old, military veteran is unreasonable
20-5156 Manuel Contreras Saucedo v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-07-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process fact-finding federal-sentencing jury-trial reasonable-doubt sentencing Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?
20-5090 Ronald Lynn Thomas v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-07-16 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appellate-review constitutional-interpretation constitutional-law district-court-discretion due-process federal-sentencing guidelines harmless-error sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether Guideline error is necessarily harmless if the district court is presented with the Guideline range later vindicated on appeal and disclaims a…
20-5016 Ashton Charles Butler v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-07-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP bank-robbery criminal-law divisible-offense double-jeopardy federal-sentencing sentencing statutory-interpretation uniform-administration-of-justice united-states-code Does 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) define a single offense or two separate and divisible offenses?
20-5007 Anthony Ray Foley v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-07-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review appellate-standard booker-standard circuit-split due-process federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-review standard-of-review supervised-release Is the 'reasonableness' standard or the 'plainly unreasonable' standard the proper standard for appellate review of a sentence imposed upon revocation…
19-8868 Rodrecas Tims v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-06-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing judicial-discretion prison-sentence reasonableness-review sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sentencing-range sentencing-reasonableness Whether the district court ordered an unreasonable 108-month prison sentence under the facts of this case, and under the recommended Sentencing Guidel…
19-8830 Justin Michael Oxendine v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-06-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review circuit-court criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines judicial-discretion legal-standard sentencing sentencing-guidelines upward-variance Whether the district court abused its discretion by varying upward
19-8770 Carl St. Preux v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-06-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-851 28-usc-2255 circuit-split drug-conviction federal-habeas-corpus federal-sentencing habeas-corpus mandatory-life-sentence post-conviction-relief prior-state-convictions sentencing-enhancement statute-of-limitations Whether 21 U.S.C. § 851(e) bars a defendant from seeking re-sentencing under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 after successfully challenging a prior state conviction …
19-8756 Kevin Ingram v. United States Seventh Circuit 2020-06-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924c3a attempted-hobbs-act-robbery attempted-offense categorical-approach crime-of-violence criminal-statute federal-sentencing james-v-united-states statutory-interpretation united-states-v-davis If a completed offense is categorically a 'crime of violence' within 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3)(A)'s elements clause, is the attempted commission of that o…
19-8680 Adrian Zitalpopoca-Hernandez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-06-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 circuit-split comparative-sentencing criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines judicial-discretion sentencing-disparities sentencing-disparity statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(6) requires federal judges to compare a defendant's sentence to the sentences of his codefendants, the sentences of defend…
19-8659 Steven Adam Segovia v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-06-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process fact-finding federal-sentencing jury-trial reasonable-doubt sentencing Whether facts that affect the minimum or maximum reasonable federal sentence must be proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?
19-8548 Shawndell Lee Harrison v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-05-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split collateral-review constitutional-law criminal-procedure federal-sentencing habeas-corpus johnson-v-united-states retroactive-rule retroactivity sentencing Whether a second or successive motion to vacate a federal sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255(h)(2) must rely solely on a new and retroactive rule of cons…
19-8339 Juan M. Santiago v. United States First Circuit 2020-04-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal-waiver booker booker-error criminal-procedure federal-sentencing mandatory-guidelines miscarriage-of-justice sentencing sentencing-guidelines waiver Whether an established Booker error (mandatory application of the USSG) can be considered per se a miscarriage of justice/exception that is not waived…
19-8199 Dwight Bullard v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-04-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2255 advisory-guidelines career-offender collateral-attack collateral-review criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing section-2255 sentencing-guidelines Whether a defendant erroneously sentenced as a career offender under the advisory Guidelines can collaterally attack his enhanced sentence under 28 U.…
19-8137 Rafael Posadas-Gonzalez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-03-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing procedural-reasonableness sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness upward-departure Whether the District Court and Court of Appeals misapplied the law under U.S.S.G § 4A1.3 and 18 U.S.C. § 3553 (a) sentencing factors
19-8144 Franco Nicholas Padgett v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-03-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-procedure concurrent-sentence-doctrine convictions courts-of-appeals federal-postconviction-motions federal-sentences federal-sentencing judicial-review postconviction-motion sentence-challenge sentences Whether the concurrent sentence doctrine applies to challenges to federal sentences when there is no challenge to a conviction
19-8098 Juan Carlos Rodriguez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-03-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences due-process evidentiary-hearing guilty-plea ineffective-assistance motion-to-vacate plea-bargaining sentencing sentencing-consequences Was the petitioner entitled to an evidentiary hearing on his motion to vacate his plea?
19-7878 Joseph Ramon Santillan v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-03-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP conviction-classification criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-offense drug-offenses due-process equal-protection federal-sentencing felony-conviction mandatory-minimum misdemeanor-conviction sentencing sentencing-enhancement state-federal-interaction state-federal-law statutory-interpretation Did defendant's State of California marijuana conviction constitute a 'prior conviction for a felony drug offense,' increasing defendant's mandatory m…
19-7851 Lenin Martinez-Alvarado v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-03-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 concurrent-sentences criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court downward-departure eleventh-circuit jurisdiction substantive-reasonableness u.s.s.g-§4a1.3 Whether certiorari review should be granted where the Eleventh Circuit held that it did not have jurisdiction to review the district court's denial to…
19-7763 Jean Bernier v. J. C. Holland, Warden, et al. Fourth Circuit 2020-02-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3585 18-usc-3621 18-usc-3621b administrative-discretion barden-determination bureau-of-prisons custody-credit federal-custody federal-sentencing sentence-commencement state-custody statutory-authority statutory-interpretation Does the federal bureau of prisons exceed statutory authority when it commences a sentence in 1992, decides 11 years later in 2003 that it was state e…
19-7525 Gregory Joel Sitzmann v. United States District of Columbia 2020-02-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP conflict-of-laws conflict-with-other-courts-of-appeals conflict-with-supreme-court court-of-appeals criminal-procedure drug-smuggling evidence federal-sentencing foreign-drug-smuggling ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jurisdiction jurisdiction-over-evidence pro-se-petition prosecutorial-misconduct Whether the district court lacked jurisdiction over evidence of foreign drug smuggling and whether the United States Court of Appeals for the District…
19-7531 Joey D. Wiseman, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-02-03 Denied IFP criminal-justice criminal-law criminal-sentencing direct-appeal due-process federal-sentencing first-step-act retroactivity sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether the First Step Act Must be Applied To Cases Pending on Direct Appeal?
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)
19-7427 Rodolfo Perez-Jimenez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-01-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure deference due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-review standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Whether substantive reasonableness review necessarily encompasses some degree of reweighing the sentencing factors?
19-7433 Anthony Russell Wilson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-01-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3583 criminal-prosecution double-jeopardy federal-sentencing fifth-amendment statutory-interpretation supervised-release united-states-v-haymond Whether the Fifth Amendment's protection against double jeopardy is violated when a defendant is prosecuted and punished for a firearm possession offe…
19-7388 Aaron Perez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-01-24 Denied IFP actual-prosecution categorical-match categorical-overbreadth circuit-split criminal-procedure evidence-sufficiency federal-sentencing felon-in-possession insufficient-evidence prior-conviction prior-felony-conviction rehaif Whether a defendant must point to an actual state court prosecution to demonstrate a prior conviction is not a categorical match
19-7337 Kinney Lee Palmer v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-01-17 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP aggravated-assault assault crime-of-violence criminal-law due-process federal-criminal-law federal-sentencing guidelines sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation texas-law threat Whether the Texas offense of aggravated assault by threat is a 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2?
19-7338 David P. Moran v. Florida Florida 2020-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process judicial-interpretation prosecutorial-charging same-conduct same-victim sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Should two charges for the same episode of conduct and the same victim with no temporal break whatsoever be sentenced to consecutive prison terms even…
19-7293 Desmond Bowen v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-01-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(a) appellate-review booker-v-united-states federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states judicial-standard sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-review statutory-interpretation substantive-reasonableness What standard should appellate courts use to review claims of substantively unreasonable sentences under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)?
19-7248 Christopher Omar Hinton v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-01-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP attempted-robbery crime-of-violence dangerous-weapon federal-sentencing north-carolina north-carolina-law sentencing-guidelines united-states-sentencing-commission united-states-sentencing-guidelines Whether North Carolina attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon qualifies as a crime of violence under Section 4B1.2 of the United States Sentencing …
19-7188 John Jay Powers v. M. L. Stancil Tenth Circuit 2020-01-08 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 18-usc-3584 18-usc-3584a administrative-deference administrative-law bureau-of-prisons criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing deference federal-bureau-of-prisons federal-courts federal-sentencing sentencing-interpretation statutory-ambiguity statutory-interpretation Is the language of 18 U.S.C. 3584(a)'s phrase 'at the same time' ambiguous?
19-7114 Joe Lewis Finley v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-12-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender-guideline constitutional-vagueness due-process federal-habeas federal-sentencing habeas-corpus habeas-proceedings johnson-ruling johnson-v-united-states mandatory-career-offender sentencing statute-of-limitations vagueness Under the statute of limitations applicable to federal habeas proceedings, are habeas petitions challenging sentences fixed by the mandatory career of…
19-7078 Braun Nathan Thompson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-12-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924 aggravated-robbery armed-robbery-statute criminal-law criminal-procedure elements-clause federal-sentencing firearms-offense minnesota-law sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation violent-felony Whether aggravated robbery under Minnesota law is a violent felony within the scope of the elements clause of 18 U.S.C. §924(e)(2)(b)(i)
19-774 Marcus Terrelle Marsh v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-12-17 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (3) armed-career-criminal-act categorical-approach criminal-sentencing drug-distribution drug-statute federal-sentencing predicate-offense state-law statutory-interpretation Whether a state drug statute that lists a variety of means by which it can be violated, including purchasing, which does not meet the definition of a …
19-780 Willie Newton v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-12-17 Denied Response Waived criminal-procedure custis-v-united-states drug-offense due-process federal-sentencing habeas-corpus johnson-v-united-states post-conviction-relief prior-conviction proposition-47 sentence-enhancement sentencing state-law state-sentencing Under what circumstances is successful post-conviction litigation a 'successful attack' on a prior state sentence?
19-6948 Michael Eugene Spry v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-12-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-USC-3553 criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process federal-courts federal-jurisdiction federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reasonableness supervised-release Whether the appellant Michael Eugene Spry's sentence was unreasonable as it was greater than necessary and as such, fails to comply with Title 18, Uni…
19-6926 Roger William Campbell, II, aka Roger William Campbell v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-12-12 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-procedure federal-sentencing revocation sentence-revocation sentencing-guidelines supervised-release united-states-sentencing-commission Is the 'stacking' of multiple consecutive sentences, upon revocation of multiple concurrent terms of supervised release, consistent with the United St…
19-6908 Margarito Olvera-Martinez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-12-11 GVR Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-sentencing immigration immigration-law reckless-mental-state sentencing statutory-interpretation supreme-court use-of-force Whether a statute has as an element the use of force against the person of another when a conviction under that statute can be based on a reckless men…
19-6775 James Marione Butchee v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-11-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender controlled-substance criminal-history due-process federal-sentencing ineffective-counsel sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation violent-felony Do having one violent felony and one controlled substance conviction qualify citizens to be a career offender?
19-6758 Michael Tryance Anderson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-11-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP 14th-amendment appellate-standard booker-standard circuit-court civil-procedure civil-rights due-process equal-protection federal-sentencing sentencing-review standing substantive-reasonableness Whether the lower court erred in dismissing petitioner's claims for violation of their civil rights and due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendm…
19-6644 Darrell Freeze v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-11-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP 5th-amendment 6th-amendment criminal-procedure due-process federal-courts federal-sentencing fifth-amendment judicial-fact-finding sentencing sixth-amendment substantive-reasonableness Whether the Fifth and Sixth Amendments permit judges to find the facts necessary to support an otherwise substantively unreasonable federal sentence
19-6601 Kevin Battle v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-11-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP actual-prosecution categorical-approach categorical-match circuit-split criminal-procedure federal-law federal-sentencing prior-conviction realistic-probability sentencing state-conviction state-court state-crime Whether a defendant must point to an actual state-court prosecution to demonstrate that a prior conviction is not a categorical match for federal sent…
19-6502 Cory Dale Fields v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-11-06 Denied IFP criminal-procedure due-process federal-district-court federal-sentencing grand-jury no-bill prior-conduct reliability reliability-of-evidence reliability-standard sentencing sentencing-considerations uncharged-conduct Is alleged prior uncharged conduct that had been no-billed by a Grand Jury sufficiently reliable for a federal district court to consider at sentencin…
19-6505 Michael Ingram v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-11-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-851 21-usc-851-enhancement 28-usc-2255 28-usc-2255-f-4 federal-law federal-procedure federal-sentencing geographic-disparities geographic-disparity habeas-corpus sentencing-commission sentencing-commission-report statute-of-limitations statutory-interpretation time-limit time-limitation Where the United States Sentencing Commission publishes a report summarizing the geographic disparities in the application of the 21 U.S.C. §851 enhan…
19-6489 Clifford Gene Wallace v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-11-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-assault aggravated-robbery crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines texas-criminal-law texas-law threat ussg-4b1.2 Whether the Texas offense of aggravated assault by threat is a 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2
19-6348 Billy J. Griffin v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-10-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender controlled-substances divisibility drug-statute federal-sentencing felony-convictions missouri-law state-convictions statutory-interpretation Is the Missouri Controlled Drug Statute indivisible such that the Defendant's two distribution of marijuana felony convictions in state court would no…
19-6025 Javier Segovia-Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-09-24 GVR Relisted (3)IFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-statute due-process federal-sentencing force force-against-person immigration-law mens-rea mental-state reckless-conduct reckless-mental-state recklessness statutory-interpretation use-of-force Whether a statute has as an element the use of force against the person of another when a conviction under that statute can be based on a reckless men…
19-5946 Anthony Carl Spence v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-09-17 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-jurisdiction criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process extraterritorial-application extraterritorial-jurisdiction extraterritoriality federal-sentencing foreign-conduct guidelines offense-level sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether a federal sentencing court can enhance a defendant's offense level based on conduct occurring entirely in a foreign country and not a crime ag…
19-5963 Jesus Yugopicio-Rojas v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-09-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-consistency criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing judicial-review molina-martinez non-calculation plain-error sentencing-guidelines Does failure to calculate the applicable Sentencing Guidelines attract the same protocol for plain error as set out in Molina-Martinez v. United State…
19-5922 Pedro Munoz, aka Pedro Munoz Ruiz v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-09-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure deference district-court federal-courts-of-appeals federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-review standard-of-review substantive-reasonableness Whether substantive reasonableness review necessarily encompasses some degree of reweighing the sentencing factors?
19-5905 Ricky Davis v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-09-11 Denied IFP fairness-integrity federal-sentencing guideline-calculation judicial-discretion procedural-error sentencing-guidelines sentencing-proportionality sentencing-uniformity statutory-maximum substantial-rights uniformity-proportionality USSG-5G1.1(a) When this Court held in Rosales-Mireles v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 1897 (2018) that a failure to correctly calculate the guideline range, which anch…
19-5788 James Nunley, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-09-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-robbery crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-sentencing guidelines sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation texas-criminal-law ussg-4b1.2 violent-crime Whether the Texas offense of aggravated robbery constitutes a 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2?
19-5763 Jose Lara-Garcia v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-08-30 GVR Relisted (4)IFP circuit-split criminal-law federal-law federal-sentencing immigration immigration-law mens-rea reckless-mental-state recklessness sentencing statutory-interpretation use-of-force Whether a statute has as an element the use of force against the person of another when a conviction under that statute can be based on a reckless men…
19-5730 Lawrence Michael Lynde v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-08-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography civil-rights constitutional-law criminal-history criminal-procedure due-process federal-courts federal-sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sex-offender-treatment sixth-circuit-appeal standing statutory-interpretation victim-restitution Whether the Sixth Circuit erred in holding that the petitioner lacks standing to challenge the constitutionality of the statute at issue
19-5447 Erbey Botello, aka Erbey Botello-Alanis, aka Javier Garcia v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-08-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split constitutional-rights due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion plea-hearing plea-revocation reasonableness-of-sentence revocation-hearing sentencing sentencing-review supervisory-powers Whether the constitutional right to due process on a plea at a revocation hearing is recognized
19-5350 Stevie Elbert Jones v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-07-26 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP career-offender crime-of-violence federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation stokeling-v-united-states texas-robbery ussg-4b1.1 ussg-4b1.2 Whether the Texas offense of robbery satisfies the definition of 'crime of violence' under USSG §4B1.2
19-5268 Thomas Bois v. United States First Circuit 2019-07-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP assault-with-dangerous-weapon crime-of-violence enumerated-offenses federal-sentencing force-clause massachusetts-assault massachusetts-assault-with-dangerous-weapon massachusetts-law sentence-enhancement sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a prior conviction for Massachusetts Assault with a Dangerous Weapon qualifies as a crime of violence for sentence enhancement purposes under …
19-5223 Bobby Minnis v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-07-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process ex-parte-communication ex-parte-communications federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing-modification state-sentencing Whether a federal district judge can amend a final sentence years later to a defendant's detriment
19-5259 Edgar Armand Hernandez-Castillo v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-07-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion jury-trial sentencing-determination 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…
19-5197 Eric T. Roden v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-07-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal article-iii-judge criminal-defendant criminal-procedure defendant-rights due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines judicial-discretion ninth-circuit sentencing sentencing-guidelines waiver Whether a criminal defendant can ever waive a correctly calculated guidelines range for use at a federal sentencing hearing
19-5202 Doroteo Zambrano-Ruiz v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-07-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-authority circuit-split federal-sentencing guidelines judicial-review molina-martinez molina-martinez-v-united-states plain-error-review sentencing sentencing-guidelines Should the Court address the division of circuit authority over the Court's application of plain-error review in Molina-Martinez v. United States when…
19-5124 Arthur Durham v. United States First Circuit 2019-07-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924 crime-of-violence criminal-law due-process economic-harm federal-sentencing force-clause hobbs-act johnson-v-united-states retroactivity statutory-interpretation violent-crime welch-v-united-states Whether Hobbs Act robbery is categorically a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3)(A)
19-5102 Dan Pizaro v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-07-08 Denied IFP criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-offense drug-offenses due-process federal-sentencing first-step-act mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation supreme-court supreme-court-precedent Whether the life sentence imposed on 21 U.S.C. § 846 and § 841(a)(1) pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A) and § 851 must be reduced to twenty-five (25…
19-5085 Darren L. Lee v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-07-05 Denied Relisted (2)IFP criminal-procedure divisible-offense federal-sentencing full-faith-and-credit modified-categorical-approach physical-force plea-bargain sentencing shepard-documents united-states-v-horse-looking violent-felony Where a divisible offense may be committed two ways, one of which satisfies the 'violent felony' element of physical force, and one of which does not,…
19-5036 Craig Alan Toaz v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-07-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences concurrent-sentencing criminal-conduct criminal-procedure federal-convictions habeas-corpus habeas-petition judicial-review procedural-grounds sentencing sentencing-guidelines ussg-5g1.3 Whether the district and circuit courts erroneously dismissed petitioner's habeas petition under procedural grounds
19-5032 Tyrone Felder v. United States Second Circuit 2019-07-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP adjudication adult-conviction adult-convictions career-offender criminal-history criminal-procedure federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation youthful-offender Whether New York youthful offender adjudications qualify as adult convictions for purposes of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines career offender provis…
18-9790 Alexander Monzoni v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-06-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure federal-sentencing guideline-calculation guidelines judicial-review molina-martinez plain-error plain-error-review prejudice prejudice-prong sentencing sentencing-guidelines Should the Court address the division of circuit authority over application of the prejudice prong of plain-error review for Guideline error as set ou…
18-9763 Stirling Michael Heaton v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-06-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences concurrent-sentencing criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing discretion federal-guidelines federal-jurisdiction federal-plea-agreement judicial-discretion modification retroactive-amendment retroactive-guidelines-amendment sentence-concurrency sentencing-guidelines sentencing-modification sentencing-reform-act Whether a sentencing court has discretion to adjust a federal sentence to achieve concurrency with another criminal sentence in § 3582(c)(2) proceedin…
18-9772 William Jerome Howard, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-06-24 Denied Relisted (2)IFP 21-usc-841 cocaine-possession controlled-substance-offense criminal-law drug-offenses federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines felony-drug-offense florida florida-drug-law mens-rea sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation ussg-4b1.2 Whether the Florida offenses of sale of cocaine under Fla. Stat. § 893.13(1)(a)(1) and possession of cocaine under Fla. Stat. § 893.13(6)(a) are 'felo…
18-9739 Timothy Paul Malone v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-06-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility application-note application-note-2 chapter-5 criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing judicial-interpretation offense-level sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the lower court has misconstrued and misapplied U.S.S.G. Chapter 5, Part A, Application Note 2 by failing to limit the offense level to a leve…
18-1550 Gilberto Ramos v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-06-19 Denied Response Waived due-process federal-sentence-enhancement federal-sentencing habeas judicial-review legal-remedy post-conviction-remedy prior-state-sentence proposition-64 resentencing retroactive-relief sentence-enhancement state-conviction state-post-conviction-remedy state-sentence successful-attack When does a state post-conviction remedy qualify as a 'successful attack' on a prior state sentence, such that a subsequent federal sentence enhanceme…
18-9734 Hector Dominguez-Gabriel, aka Kinko, aka John Richard Bellefleur v. United States Second Circuit 2019-06-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion compassionate-release criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-courts federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentence-modification sentencing-guidelines sentencing-relief statutory-interpretation Whether the lower court(s) abused its discretion when it denied appellant Section 3582(c)(2) relief?
18-9658 Eric Daniel Doyle v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-06-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing grouping guidelines judicial-discretion legal-calculation procedural-error sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-maximum total-punishment Whether due process requires the correct calculation of Doyle's Guidelines sentencing range
18-9677 Martin Arreola Zavala v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-06-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility contested-cases criminal-procedure drug-quantity due-process evidence evidence-determination federal-courts federal-sentencing legal-sufficiency quantity-determinations sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review sufficiency-of-evidence Whether this court should grant certiorari to address the proper application of law to fact relating to sufficiency of the evidence for quantity deter…
18-9639 Dustin E. Ash v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-06-12 GVR Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (5)IFP circuit-split crimes-of-violence criminal-conviction criminal-law-sentencing criminal-sentencing due-process federal-firearms-law federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines reckless-crime reckless-crimes sentencing-guidelines ussg-4b1.2 violent-crimes Whether reckless crimes, like Mr. Ash's Kansas reckless aggravated battery conviction, qualify as crimes of violence under USSG § 4B1.2
18-9563 Cody Shane Sorrels v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-06-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 criminal-procedure due-process federal-courts federal-sentencing judicial-discretion jury-trial sentencing sentencing-determination sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-18-usc-3553 statutory-interpretation 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…
18-9456 Gary Giovon Lynn v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-05-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP bureau-of-prisons constitutional-law federal-bureau-of-prisons federal-sentencing nunc-pro-tunc procedural-error sentencing sentencing-authority sentencing-procedure-error separation-of-powers setser-v-united-states ussg-5g1-3c When the district court failed to follow the Court's ruling in Setser v. United States, 566 U.S. 231 (2012) at sentencing did it engage in an impermis…
18-9245 Martin Paul De-La-Rosa v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-05-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-history drug-quantity due-process federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines guideline-calculation judicial-review methamphetamine section-2d1.1 section-4a1.1 section-4a1.2 sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Does a sentencing court have to get its math correct when calculating the applicable federal sentencing guidelines?
18-9063 Tyrone Leonard James v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-05-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 18-usc-3584 18-usc-924c 18-usc-924c3b certificate-of-appealability concurrent-sentences concurrent-sentences,federal-sentencing,state-sent Does the Supreme Court's grant of writ of certiora federal-criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-consideration sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors state-sentencing statutory-interpretation supreme-court-rule-10 third-circuit unrelated-crimes vagueness Whether a district court's finding that a state crime and federal crime were unrelated is sufficient, in itself, to satisfy its obligation under 18 U.…
18-8767 Antonio Slaton v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-04-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP alford-plea criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process evidence evidence-of-innocence federal-procedure federal-sentencing federal-supervised-release revocation-hearing supervised-release Whether a state conviction entered via an Alford plea creates an irrebuttable presumption such that a defendant in a federal supervised release revoca…
18-8700 Dorian Givens v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-04-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentencing standard-of-review supervised-release What is the proper standard of appellate review for sentences imposed on defendants following revocation of supervised release?
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
18-8225 Barry Druilhet, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-03-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP 6th-amendment criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion obstruction-of-justice sentencing sentencing-enhancement witness-testimony Can a federal court consider enhance a defendant's sentence for obstruction of justice where the defendant was seeking out witnesses to testify on his…
18-7788 Sunny Robinson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-02-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal appellate-review compassionate-release criminal-justice criminal-procedure district-court-discretion due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentence-reduction sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the District Court and the Fifth Circuit erred in not granting relief under Title 18 U.S.C. § 3582
18-7722 Rodrigo Escobedo-Coronado v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-02-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-assault circuit-split criminal-law federal-criminal-law federal-offense federal-sentencing mens-rea model-penal-code state-survey statutory-interpretation Does the federal generic aggravated assault offense require more than a merely reckless mens rea?
18-6982 Jerry Walden v. United States Second Circuit 2018-12-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 28-usc-994 career-offender district-court due-process federal-sentencing guideline-application harmless-error johnson-v-united-states molina-martinez molina-martinez-precedent molina-martinez-v-united-states sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-error Whether the petitioner is entitled to resentencing due to Guideline application error
18-6858 Micah G. Pritchett v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-11-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach controlled-substance criminal-law distribution drug-distribution federal-sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation virginia virginia-law Whether the Virginia offense of distribution of a controlled substance categorically qualifies as a 'controlled substance offense' under the U.S. Sent…
18-6748 Malachi M. Glass v. United States Third Circuit 2018-11-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substance controlled-substance-offense criminal-law criminal-statute drug-offense federal-law federal-sentencing pennsylvania pennsylvania-law sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the broader Pennsylvania delivery of a controlled substance statute, 35 Pa. C.S.A. § 780-113(a)(30), qualifies as a 'controlled-substance-offe…
18-6757 Ronald Ray Norman v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-11-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act categorical-approach criminal-law descamps-v-united-states divisibility divisibility-analysis federal-sentencing means-versus-elements sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation statutory-text violent-felony What role does the text of a statute play in the divisibility analysis under the categorical approach of the Armed Career Criminal Act?
18-6737 Jose Lopez-Castillo v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-11-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP booker booker-decision constitutional-law criminal-law criminal-procedure federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent title-21 Whether the mandatory-sentencing regime of Title 21 has been abrogated by United States v. Booker and its progeny
18-596 Marie Neba v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-11-06 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion judicial-review presumption-of-reasonableness proportionality rita-v-united-states sentencing-disparities sentencing-guidelines Should the Court overrule or refine Rita v. United States (2007) 551 U.S. 338, such that an irregular and disproportionate within-Guidelines sentence …
18-6483 Armando Chavez, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-10-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-jurisdiction federal-sentencing indictment indictment-requirements judicial-discretion plea-bargaining sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether facts that alter the range of reasonable' federal sentences must be pleaded in the indictment in federal cases?
18-6373 Erwin Eugene Semien v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3585 5th-amendment board-of-pardons-v-allen constitutional-rights due-process federal-sentencing greenholtz-v-nebraska-penal-inmates liberty-interest official-detention sentencing-credits Does the Federal time credit Statute 18 U.S.C. § 3585(b) create a liberty interest protected by the 5th Amendment due process clause?
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…
18-6342 Jaime Rene Lopez-Vaal v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-10-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP accomplice-liability aggravated-felony criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process equal-protection federal-sentencing immigration immigration-law ninth-circuit-review sentencing statutory-interpretation void-for-vagueness Whether Section 1326(b) is unconstitutionally vague
18-6173 Carlos Tiznado-Valenzuela v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-10-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split federal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-interpretation molina-martinez molina-martinez-standard plain-error-review prejudice prejudice-prong sentencing-guidelines Should the Court address the division of circuit authority over the Court's application of the prejudice prong of plain-error review in Molina-Martine…
18-6184 Robert Demetrius Barnes v. B. Masters, Warden Fourth Circuit 2018-10-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split concurrent-sentence criminal-procedure federal-appellate-courts federal-sentencing prior-undischarged-term prior-undischarged-term-of-imprisonment sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-manual-5g1.3(c) statutory-interpretation Whether the word concurrently' in Section 5G1.3(c) authorizes a sentencing court to run a sentence concurrently from the start of the pre-existing sen…
18-6111 Thompson Christopher Kyle Mandrell v. United States Tenth Circuit 2018-09-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a6 appellate-review criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-discretion sentence-disparity sentencing-disparities sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the federal sentencing court failed to properly consider and apply 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(6) regarding unwarranted sentence disparities
18-6066 Melvin Noel Vasquez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-09-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure de-novo-review downward-adjustment due-process federal-sentencing fifth-circuit minimal-role mitigating-role sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-3b1.2 standard-of-review Whether the Fifth Circuit's cursory review rather than the proper de novo review resulted in a misapplication of the provision of U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2 den…
18-6007 Valerie Louise Williams v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-09-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP advisory-guidelines appellate-review criminal-procedure downward-variance federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines judicial-discretion presumption-of-reasonableness sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness Whether the Court Should Grant Certiorari to Provide Further Clarification as to the Presumption of Substantive Reasonableness for Downward Variances …
18-5970 Allen D. Gorion v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-09-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review criminal-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion reasonableness reasonableness-standard sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reform Whether certiorari should be granted to set forth some guidelines in determining when a sentence is unreasonable?
18-5839 James Frederick Rebmann v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-08-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law drug-offense drug-offenses federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines felony-classification plain-reading possession-offenses prior-conviction prior-convictions sentencing-guidelines sixth-circuit statutory-interpretation Whether the plain reading of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines requires that the prior offense be more than simple possession
18-261 Jose Guadalupe Cebreros v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-08-29 Denied 21-usc-841-b-1-a 21-usc-841(b)(1)(a) california california-proposition-47 drug-offense-enhancement federal-recidivist-sentence-enhancement federal-sentencing habeas-relief prior-state-felony-drug-offense recidivist-sentencing retroactive-drug-sentencing-reforms state-law-interpretation Is a federal recidivist sentence enhancement based on a prior state 'felony drug offense' under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A) invalidated when the underlyi…
18-5673 Eugene Smalls v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-08-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing lochner sentencing sentencing-commission-guidelines sixth-amendment state-federal-relations statutory-interpretation Does the 'heightened' Lochner standards of W.G. Abel v. Estelle, AHR, override the state and federal sentencing guidelines of the motion of the judge,…
18-5674 Roger Clay Swain v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-08-21 Denied IFP armed-career-criminal-act career-offender collateral-review due-process federal-sentencing habeas-corpus johnson-ruling mandatory-sentencing-guidelines residual-clause retroactivity section-2255-motion sentencing-guidelines supreme-court-retroactivity timeliness Whether federal prisoners who were sentenced under the mandatory career-offender guideline filed timely § 2255 motions within one year of Johnson v. U…
18-5683 In Re Todd Britton-Harr 2018-08-21 Denied Relisted (2)IFP 28-usc-2255 criminal-procedure federal-sentencing habeas-corpus judicial-review mortgage-fraud newly-discovered-evidence post-conviction-relief section-2255 successive-motion successive-motions Whether the court of appeals improperly denied the Petitioner's application seeking an order authorizing the district court to consider a second or su…
18-5655 Cory D. Foster v. United States Third Circuit 2018-08-20 Denied IFP a question that has split the circuits 10-1 18-usc-924c categorical-approach circuit-split crime-of-violence criminal-law federal-courts federal-criminal-provision federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-definition statutory-interpretation Whether the categorical approach applies in determining whether an offense is a 'crime of violence' supporting conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
18-5601 Jose Ramirez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-08-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP confrontation confrontation-right due-process federal-sentencing fifth-amendment good-cause parole probation revocation sentencing-hearing witness-confrontation Does the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause confer at least a limited right to confront witnesses at federal sentencing hearings absent a showing, a…
18-5497 Timothy Edmun Johnson v. United States Tenth Circuit 2018-08-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substances criminal-history double-jeopardy drug-distribution federal-sentencing felony-possession occasions-different sentencing-enhancement separate-occasions serious-drug-offense Whether Oklahoma's crime of drug distribution is a 'serious drug offense' under the Armed Career Criminal Act when state law defines 'distribution' to…
18-5321 Salvador Ortiz-Uresti v. United States Third Circuit 2018-07-23 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP categorical-approach circuit-split colorado-drug-statute criminal-law divisibility drug-statute federal-predicate federal-sentencing immigration-consequences nationwide-impact sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether a conviction under Colorado's primary drug statute qualifies as a federal predicate for an increased sentence
18-5274 Manuel Vega v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-07-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP california-health-and-safety-code-11378 categorical-approach controlled-substance controlled-substance-offense criminal-conviction divisible-statute drug-offense federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guideline mathis-v-united-states modified-categorical-approach sentencing-enhancement state-court-decision Whether a court fulfills the mandate of Mathis v. United States if it looks only to whether a state defendant can be punished more than once for posse…
18-5222 Corvain T. Cooper, aka CV v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-07-12 Denied IFP collateral-review criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing federal-statute habeas-corpus invalidated-convictions life-without-parole resentencing sentencing state-convictions Whether a petitioner who was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, which was enhanced by two later invalidated state convictions, may a…
18-5171 Erick Rolando Lopez-Mendez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-07-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process empirical-basis federal-sentencing illegal-reentry immigration presumption-of-reasonableness sentencing-guidelines Whether a sentence produced by the former illegal-reentry guideline, §2L1.2, is entitled to a presumption of reasonableness on appeal
18-16 Larone Frederick Elijah v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-07-02 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing-guidelines-harmless- district-court federal-sentencing harmless-error procedural-reasonableness sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness variance-sentence When a criminal defendant argues that a district court made an error in calculating his United States Sentencing Guidelines range resulting in a sente…
18-5072 Jill M. Evans v. United States Tenth Circuit 2018-07-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility burden-on-court-system criminal-procedure due-process efficient-punishment federal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines guilty-plea plea-bargaining sentencing sentencing-guidelines unrelated-offenses Should a defendant receive credit under the acceptance of responsibility guideline for entering a guilty plea, even if alleged to have committed unrel…