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213 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-6678 Isaac Ramirez Rodriguez v. Virginia Virginia 2026-01-30 Pending Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment mandatory-minimum proportionality sentencing Are the mandatory minimum life sentence provisions of Virginia Code §§ 18.2-61(B)(2) and 18.2-67.2(B)(2) unconstitutional as constituting Cruel and Un…
25-6599 Harry Whitman v. United States Fifth Circuit 2026-01-15 Pending IFP criminal-resentencing extraordinary-compelling-reasons first-step-act mandatory-minimum sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether the fact that a prisoner is serving a sentence that is significantly longer than the law would now permit, in light of the First Step Act's no…
25-6386 Gavin Michael Harold v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-12-16 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-punishment jury-trial mandatory-minimum restitution sixth-amendment In 2018, Congress enacted the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, which established a mandatory minimum restitution amount o…
25-6169 Elias Xavier Rosario Torres v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-11-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure firearm-statute mandatory-minimum mens-rea statutory-interpretation A person who is convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, but who…
25A535 Shawn Russell Sorensen v. United States Eighth Circuit 2025-11-07 Application controlled-substance drug-possession felony-drug-offense ineffective-assistance mandatory-minimum sentencing-enhancement This document does not contain a traditional "Question(s) Presented" section. The text contains questions posed within the Background section of an ex…
25-6010 Karl Patrick Kluge v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-10-31 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedIFP child-exploitation criminal-punishment jury-finding mandatory-minimum restitution sixth-amendment In 2018, Congress enacted the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, which established a mandatory minimum restitution amount o…
25-5144 Gregory Michael Hawes v. Seth Norris, Warden Wyoming 2025-07-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof circuit-split constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process mandatory-minimum Whether this Court should resolve a 9'8 split amongst State Courts of Last Resort, when rulings, influenced by this Courts decisions, unconstitutional…
25-5054 Eural Black v. United States Seventh Circuit 2025-07-08 Pending IFP circuit-split compassionate-release extraordinary-reasons first-step-act mandatory-minimum sentencing-reduction The compassionate-release statute permits courts to reduce a prisoner's sentence if the court finds that "extraordinary and compelling reasons" warran…
24-6608 Felix Pusey v. Florida Florida 2025-02-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP eighth-amendment firearm-possession juvenile-offender mandatory-minimum second-amendment sixth-amendment 1. Whether section 790.23(1)(b), Florida Statutes, which criminalizes the possession and ownership of a firearm by people under the age of 24 who have…
24-6387 Raymond Bradley v. Florida Florida 2025-01-24 Denied IFP constitutional-sentencing criminal-procedure juvenile-sentencing mandatory-minimum proportionality-principle youth-consideration Whether the mandatory penalty scheme at issue here is flawed where it prevents the sentencer from taking account of the central considerations of Grah…
24-6287 Sean J. Trahan v. United States First Circuit 2025-01-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography federal-law mandatory-minimum predicate-offense sentencing-enhancement state-conviction Whether a district court may impose an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence under 18 U.S.C. 2252A(b)(2) based on a prior state conviction "relating to"…
24-6192 Ladonta A. Tucker v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-12-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-statute firearm-use mandatory-minimum predicate-offense sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether a person uses or carries a firearm "during and in relation to" a predicate offense anytime the firearm has "the potential to facilitate" the c…
24-6114 Davis Ennis v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-12-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy-statute drug-quantity judicial-fact-finding mandatory-minimum rule-of-lenity sixth-amendment This case presents a question whether judicial fact-finding of a greater type and quantity of a controlled substance, an element of the offense, requi…
24-5972 Alex N. Morales-Velez v. United States First Circuit 2024-11-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure ineffective-assistance mandatory-minimum plea-agreement sentencing-recommendation strickland-standard 1. Whether defense counsel's failure to object to the government's high-end sentencing recommendation —contrary to the terms of the plea agreement fol…
24-5905 Huosheng Xian v. United States Tenth Circuit 2024-11-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure jury-verdict mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing Do the findings embodied in a jury's verdict constrain a sentencing judge's ability to find that a defendant has provided full and truthful informatio…
24A423 Sean J. Trahan v. United States First Circuit 2024-10-30 Presumed Complete categorical-approach child-pornography circuit-split mandatory-minimum sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether, under the "categorical approach," the Massachusetts child pornography statute is "overbroad" such that a prior conviction under that statute …
24-5366 Marquise Thomas v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-08-22 Denied IFP child-exploitation criminal-punishment jury-determination mandatory-minimum restitution-order sixth-amendment Does the Sixth Amendment require a jury to find the facts needed to justify a restitution order meeting or exceeding § 2259(b)(2)(B)'s $3,000 mandator…
24-5060 Bert Hudson v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole Pennsylvania 2024-07-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-interpretation cruel-and-unusual-punishment cruel-punishment eighth-amendment furman-v-georgia mandatory-minimum parole parole-review second-degree-murder sentencing-guidelines sentencing-statutes After being rebuked for forbidden cruelty by this Court's own landmark 1972 Furman decision, Pennsylvania's sentencing statutes enacted in response to…
24-5019 Daniel Salgado v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-07-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP almendarez-torres apprendi-rule certiorari constitutional-interpretation criminal-procedure-sentencing notice-clause prior-conviction-exception sixth-amendment supreme-court-review L Should Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), be overruled? I. Should this Court should grant certiorari, vacate the judgment bel…
24-5016 Michael Medina v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-07-08 GVR Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-justice-reform first-step-act mandatory-minimum post-conviction-relief resentencing retroactivity sentencing-reduction sentencing-reform statutory-interpretation The First Step Act (FSA) significantly reduced the mandatory minimum sentences for several federal drug and firearm offenses. First Step Act of 2018, …
24-5014 Aweis Haji-Mohamed v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-07-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split due-process ineffective-assistance mandatory-minimum plea-bargaining prejudice prejudice-analysis sixth-amendment sixth-circuit-error strickland-standard strickland-v-washington The Sixth Circuit deliberately applied a more demanding standard for showing prejudice for ineffective assistance of counsel than the standard establi…
23A1167 Jay A. Liestman v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-06-27 Presumed Complete child-pornography federal-criminal-law mandatory-minimum predicate-offense sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Question not identified.
23-7650 Samuel Cuellar v. Jeff Tanner, Warden Sixth Circuit 2024-06-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-procedure constitutional-violation criminal-procedure ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel informed-decision mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences plea-bargaining plea-negotiations sentencing I. PETITIONER IS ENTITLED TO REINSTATEMENT OF PLEA OFFER WHERE COUNSEL FAILED TO INFORM HIM DURING PLEA NEGOTIATIONS THAT IF HE WAS CONVICTED UNDER MC…
23-7643 Thomas Antonio Stuart v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-06-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP alien-smuggling criminal-penalty criminal-procedure legislative-history mandatory-minimum sentencing statutory-interpretation textualism Whether the five-year mandatory minimum penalty of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2), which applies to a defendant's third "violation" of subsection (a)(2)(B)(Gi)…
23-7453 William Garrido v. Florida Florida 2024-05-10 Denied IFP 10-20-life-statute criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-authority statutory-interpretation trial-court-authority What authority does the trial court have to sentence beyond the selected mandatory minimum of 25 years under § 775.087 (2), (the 10-20-life Statute)?
23-7283 Hector Manuel Gomez Rodriguez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-04-22 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 21-usc-841 constitutional-scrutiny criminal-procedure cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences non-capital-sentences proportionality-review sentencing Did the Ninth Circuit contravene Harmelin's plurality and Ewing by essentially exempting all sentences that a district court imposes under 21 U.S.C. §…
23-7061 Cody Dillon Hogan v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-03-22 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 8th-amendment child-pornography civil-rights criminal-law due-process eighth-amendment mandatory-minimum restitution statutory-interpretation 1. Proximate causation. This Court has opined that holding possessors of illegal pornography liable for the conduct of many other independent actors m…
23A850 Benjamin F. Whiteman v. Kathy Jennings, Attorney General of Delaware, et al. Third Circuit 2024-03-20 Presumed Complete constitutional-challenge cruel-and-unusual due-process habitual-offender mandatory-minimum sentencing-statute Question not identified.
23-7014 Stanley Ford v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-03-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-1951 18-usc-924 aiding-and-abetting crime-of-violence elements-clause hobbs-act mandatory-minimum physical-force statutory-interpretation Whether Hobbs Act robbery and aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery, 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), are categorically crimes of violence under the elements clau…
23-1002 Tony R. Hewitt v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-03-12 Judgment Issued Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) circuit-split criminal-law first-step-act judicial-vacatur mandatory-minimum post-enactment-sentencing retroactivity sentencing sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether the First Step Act's sentencing reduction provisions apply to a defendant originally sentenced before the FSA's enactment when that original s…
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 This case presents a legal question under the Indian Major Crimes Act (IMCA), 18 U.S.C. § 1153, that is increasingly important in the wake of McGirt v…
23-6942 Paulino Granda v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-03-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process habeas-corpus johnson-precedent johnson-v-united-states mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-minimum predicate-conviction sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether a Petitioner demonstrates that he has made "a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right " warranting the issuance of a certi…
23-6879 Christopher Sean Burrus v. Washington Washington 2024-03-01 Denied IFP 6th-amendment civil-rights constitutional-challenge cruel-and-unusual-punishment drug-offense due-process eighth-amendment evidentiary-requirements ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandatory-minimum mental-health sentencing-law 1. Washington's personal identity petition hon eastern powers Conviction proceedings Who Are loucden & pcoa? a boty Sed +o Nhe. Setidioned oN ise.) Be…
23-6590 Johnny Eugene Holton v. Georgia Georgia 2024-01-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process equal-protection fourteenth-amendment jurisdiction mandatory-minimum res-judicata sentencing statutory-interpretation void-sentence 1) Was Petitioner Deprived of His Due Process Clause of His Fourteenth Amendment fights and Equal Protection of the Law in Violation of His Rights Pro…
23-6424 Taquarius Kaream Ford v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-01-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-1591 18-usc-1594 circuit-split criminal-sentencing double-jeopardy mandatory-minimum sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation When two Sex Trafficking statutes combine into a single Count, does the penalty for Sex Trafficking Conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. Section 1594(c) which h…
23-6399 Michael Salinas v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-12-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-intent criminal-law drug-conspiracy mandatory-minimum mens-rea sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether, to prove conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance triggering mandatory-minimum and increased-maximum penalties, the government must pr…
23-6323 Ryan F. Duncan v. Florida Florida 2023-12-21 Denied IFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process identification-evidence mandatory-minimum parole photo-array plea-bargaining sentencing witness-testimony I. Does (x. \t\&\ CUjurV c\. c*\<nvrwOi &&£erAdn\r cP di/ve. process ujWexA (\tde^Mf\c^ (x. o^aAVm pk^ u)^<mV v^ftAin^ -\h(y*\ dootxV (k. vmc,d{*Wu ■V…
23-6091 Valentino Bernard Lee v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Florida 2023-11-22 Denied IFP criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process firearm-possession jury-instructions legal-principles mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence possession-of-firearm sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the trial court erred in sentencing defendant to a mandatory 11 year sentence under the 10-20-Life statute for possession of a firearm when th…
23-6087 Ronell Whitehead v. United States Third Circuit 2023-11-21 Denied IFP 21-usc-841 21-usc-846 circuit-split conspiracy-law controlled-substances drug-conspiracy drug-distribution mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation 1. Section 846 of title 21 provides that the available penalties for a controlled substances conspiracy violation are "the same ... as those prescribe…
23-531 Timothy I. Carpenter v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-11-17 Denied Amici (2) criminal-procedure drug-offense federal-firearm-offense first-step-act mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums retroactivity sentencing-reform statutory-interpretation Do the sentencing reforms in Section 403 of the First Step Act apply when a district court sentences an individual whose offense was committed before …
23-6014 Curtis Conway Bailey v. Bryan Morrison, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-11-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-sexual-conduct direct-appeal due-process immutable-fact ineffective-assistance-counsel judicial-notice mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence michigan-law sentencing 1. Whether a trial court can find the fact of a defendant's age as an element of the offense of first-degree criminal sexual conduct under Michigan la…
23-5868 Nicky S. Keo v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2023-10-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP 2nd-amendment civil-rights constitutional-rights criminal-penalty due-process felony firearm-licensing licensing mandatory-minimum second-amendment self-defense The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires its citizens to get permission from their local police departments before they can exercise their right to …
23-5691 Ricardo Garcia, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-10-02 Denied Relisted (3)IFP circuit-split criminal-history due-process mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Pursuant to the "safety-valve" provision of the federal sentencing statute, a defendant convicted of certain nonviolent drug crimes can obtain relief …
23-5627 Ronald Rene Deleon, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-09-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure mandatory-minimum plain-error revocation sentencing sentencing-procedure supervised-release Whether application of a mandatory minimum term of supervised release following a revocation amounts to plain error?
23-5619 Jordan Winczuk v. United States First Circuit 2023-09-20 Denied IFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-sentencing mandatory-minimum rule-of-lenity sentencing sexual-exploitation statutory-interpretation The federal criminal statute entitled Sexual Exploitation of Children provides a series of mandatory-minimum penalties. 18 U.S.C. §2251(e). The penalt…
23-5419 Seth Williams v. United States Third Circuit 2023-08-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender constitutional-challenge criminal-procedure due-process jurisdiction jurisdictional-authority mandatory-minimum rehaif-doctrine sentencing sentencing-modification Does the District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania have the authority and jurisdiction to change a sentence after 12 years that was ORALL…
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 The Safety Valve provision, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), instructs district courts to sentence under the guidelines without regard to any statutory mandatory …
23-5298 Edgar Sandoval Catarino v. California California 2023-08-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure fourteenth-amendment jury-trial mandatory-minimum sentencing sixth-amendment 1. Do the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments confer a right to a jury trial with respect to a fact that has the dual effect of (1) increasing the mandato…
23-88 Jerry L. Brown v. United States Seventh Circuit 2023-07-31 Denied Response Waived circuit-split compassionate-release extraordinary-compelling-reasons first-step-act mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence resentencing sentencing-commission sentencing-reduction Whether non-retroactive changes in law can be "extraordinary and compelling reasons" warranting resentencing under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).
23-5149 Javier Escalera, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-07-20 Denied Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-history fifth-circuit mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Pursuant to the "safety-valve" provision of the federal sentencing statute, a defendant convicted of certain nonviolent drug crimes can obtain relief …
23-2 Gerald Spruell v. United States Third Circuit 2023-06-30 Denied Response Waived appellate-review conspiracy criminal-procedure drug-conspiracy drug-quantities evidence evidence-sufficiency jury-verdict mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-guidelines 1. Whether the Court of Appeals erred in concluding there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict and drug quantities attributed to the …
22-7650 Nolan Washington v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-05-26 Denied Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-procedure mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation supreme-court Whether the Di strict Court erred when i t (1) fel t constrai ned to i mpose the mandatory mi nimum sentence, 120 months of i mpri sonment; (2) di d …
22-7630 Daniel Nathaniel McCall v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-05-24 GVR Relisted (3)IFP armed-career-criminal-act categorical-approach federal-drug-schedules federal-firearm-offense mandatory-minimum prior-state-drug-offense sentencing sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-offense 1. This Court has granted certiorari in Jackson v. United States, No. 22-6640, and Brown v. United States, No. 22-6389, and consolidated the cases. Th…
22-7436 Chad Robert Kolkman v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-05-02 Denied Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-history criminal-sentencing legal-interpretation mandatory-minimum sentencing statutory-construction statutory-interpretation statutory-text When the terms of a statute are unambiguous, "it's no contest" what a court should do—apply the law as written. Bostock v. Clayton County, 140 S. Ct. …
22-7303 Patrick Dewayne Smith v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-04-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP compassionate-release extraordinary-and-compelling extraordinary-circumstances federal-law-change first-step-act mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-minimum retroactivity sentencing-reduction sentencing-reform Whether non-retroactive changes in federal law can serve as "extraordinary and compelling reasons" warranting a sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3…
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 The "safety valve" provision of the federal sentencing statute requires a district court to ignore any statutory mandatory minimum and instead follow …
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 Courts interpret statutes by applying Congress's plain language. In the First Step Act, Congress modified the federal sentencing statute to say that a…
22-6843 Edgar Barrera v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-02-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process federal-jurisdiction mandatory-minimum mens-rea non-elemental-facts plea-bargaining preponderance-standard sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation 1) Whether the Constitution permits a sentencing judge to find non-elemental facts by a preponderance of the evidence and then rely on those facts to …
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 Section 3553(f) of Title 18, U.S. Code, is the "safety valve" which can allow a defendant to receive a sentence less than the statutory mandatory mini…
22-6682 Ricky Douglas Haynes, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-02-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act criminal-occasions due-process jury-trial mandatory-minimum non-elemental-facts sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation violent-felony 1. Whether a sentencing judge may rely on non-elemental facts to conclude that a defendant's prior offenses were "committed on occasions different fro…
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 Pursuant to the "safety-valve" provision of the federal sentencing statute, a defendant convicted of certain nonviolent drug crimes can obtain relief …
22-6076 Joseph Rauber v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-11-16 Denied Relisted (3)IFP circuit-split criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing drug-offenses mandatory-minimum safety-valve sentencing-statute statutory-interpretation The federal sentencing statute contains a "safety valve" that protects defendants from mandatory minimum sentences if they meet certain criteria. 18 U…
22-5902 Monica Rodriguez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-10-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-841 circuit-split controlled-substance drug-conspiracy mandatory-minimum mens-rea sentencing sentencing-enhancement To prove conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance triggering mandatory-minimum and increased-maximum penalties, does the government need to est…
22-5836 Laquan Kyle Duane Shakespeare v. United States Tenth Circuit 2022-10-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3583k consecutive-sentences constitutional-challenge double-jeopardy due-process mandatory-minimum marks-doctrine marks-v-united-states sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation united-states-v-haymond 1. Whether Mr. Shakespeare's five-year mandatory minimum revocation term of imprisonment imposed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3583(k) is valid in light of …
22-340 Mark E. Pulsifer v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-10-12 Judgment Issued Amici (4)Relisted (3) circuit-conflict circuit-split criminal-history criminal-justice-reform first-step-act mandatory-minimum rule-of-lenity safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation The "safety valve" provision of the federal sentencing statute requires a district court to ignore any statutory mandatory minimum and instead follow …
22-5680 Wigberto Viera v. United States Second Circuit 2022-09-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP drug-sting due-process judicial-authority mandatory-minimum reverse-sting sentencing-manipulation separation-of-powers stash-house Whether this Court should recognize the defense of sentencing manipulation, in accordance with the majority of Courts of Appeals, and rule that senten…
22-5584 Emru Kebede v. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2022-09-15 Denied IFP 8th-amendment age-discrimination due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection juvenile-offenders juvenile-sentencing mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences roper-v-simmons 1.) DO THE DECISIONS OF THIS COURT IN ROPER V. SIMMONS AND MILLER V. ALABAMA ESTABLISH A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT FOR OFFENDERS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE AS IT R…
22-5458 Kenneth Lainell Davis v. Florida Florida 2022-08-29 Denied IFP criminal-defendant criminal-procedure criminal-trial due-process eighth-amendment felony jury jury-composition juvenile-sentencing mandatory-minimum sixth-amendment 1. Whether the Sixth Amendment requires a twelve-person jury to try a criminal defendant accused of a felony offense. 2. Whether the imposition of a …
22-5365 David Steve Elias v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-08-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure mandatory-minimum plain-error retroactivity rule-11 sentencing I. After Mr. Elias's plea but before his sentencing, the First Step Act amended § 924(c)(1) to clarify that the consecutive mandatory minimum sentence…
22-5378 Robert Collazo, Lino Delgado-Vidaca, Julio Rodriguez, and Steven Amador v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-08-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-law criminal-penalties drug-distribution due-process mandatory-minimum mens-rea sentencing Whether, to prove conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance triggering mandatory-minimum and increased-maximum penalties, the Government must sh…
22-5147 Ortavious Devon Wilson v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2022-07-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP almendarez-torres-v-united-states certificate-of-appealability constitutional-rights criminal-procedure jury-trial mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing prison-releasee-reoffender sixth-amendment 1. Whether the Petitioner's sentence violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial when the trial court imposed a minimum mandatory sentence of l…
22-5043 Romeo Valentin Sanchez v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-07-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-law enhanced-sentencing indecent-acts mandatory-minimum military-justice sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation uniform-code-of-military-justice Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (10 U.S.C. § 920) was broadened in 2006 to include crimes of "indecent acts." Article 120 was ream…
22-5023 Sam Jones, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-07-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process eleventh-circuit judicial-discretion less-culpable-defendant mandatory-minimum sentencing-entrapment supervisory-jurisdiction Whether in the exercise of its supervisory jurisdiction over the United States Courts, this Court should correct the correctable injustice, and violat…
21-8201 Judel Espinoza-Gonzalez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-06-22 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appellate-waiver constitutional-violation conviction-review criminal-procedure district-court-authority due-process jurisdictional-challenge mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentence sentencing unconstitutional-conviction L. A guilty plea that includes an appellate waiver does not bar jurisdictional challenges on appeal. Class v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 798 (2018). Th…
21-7975 Amir Karim Beigali v. United States Sixth Circuit 2022-05-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP 924-c consecutive-sentences constitutional-interpretation criminal-sentencing double-jeopardy due-process fifth-amendment mandatory-minimum section-924c sixth-amendment supervised-release DOES THE FIFTH AND SIXTH AMENDMENT UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION PROHIBIT SECOND OR SUBSEQUENTLY SECTION 924 (c) (1) (C)(i) AND ITS CONSECUTIVE MANDATOR…
21-7867 Jasper B. Mackey, Jr. v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-05-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-sentencing due-process fourth-circuit government-discretion mandatory-minimum plea-agreement sentencing substantial-assistance I. The United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals erred in affirming the district court's judgment which did not depart below the mandatory minimum…
21-7773 Eric Middlebrook v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-05-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP consecutive-sentences constitutional-challenge constitutional-law double-jeopardy drug-crimes drug-offense guideline-range mandatory-consecutive-term mandatory-minimum sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines 1. Does punishing an individual with both a statutory penalty that requires a mandatory consecutive prison term and a Guideline Range enhancement for…
21-7414 Gregory M. Hawes v. Michael Pacheco, Warden, et al. Tenth Circuit 2022-03-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof criminal-procedure due-process mandatory-minimum sentencing statutory-maximum I. Whether this Court's decision in Patterson v. New York (1977), which permitted placing the burden on a criminal defendant to establish mitigating f…
21-7086 William L. Whitefield v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-02-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582c1a 18-usc-924c compassionate-release criminal-law criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons mandatory-minimum 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 …
21-940 Kentucky v. Jared McCarthy Kentucky 2021-12-27 Denied Amici (1)Response Waived blood-test criminal-procedure due-process evidence evidence-admission fourth-amendment impaired-driving mandatory-minimum search-and-seizure 1. Whether the Fourth Amendment prohibits the admission of a defendant's refusal of a blood test in an impaired-driving prosecution. 2. Whether the F…
21-6685 Christopher Dominguez v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-12-21 Denied IFP criminal-procedure due-process ineffective-assistance-of-counsel informed-consent mandatory-minimum plea-agreement plea-bargaining prosecutorial-misconduct right-to-trial sentencing sentencing-guidelines The prosecutor, defense counsel, and the district court all informed Mr. Dominguez that if he went to trial he would face a mandatory minimum sentence…
21-6592 Donald Stanley v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-12-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law drug-statute mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums mens-rea ninth-circuit-precedent rehaif-v-united-states sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation Whether the knowingly mens rea in 21 U.S.C. § 841 applies to the elements of drug type and quantity that establish mandatory minimum and enhanced maxi…
21-6397 Viengxay Chantharath, aka OG v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-11-23 Denied IFP 18-usc-3582 circuit-split extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons extraordinary-reasons first-step-act mandatory-minimum retroactivity sentence-reduction sentencing-law Under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)(i), district courts have the authority to reduce a sentence based on "extraordinary and compelling reasons." In the F…
21-6332 Daeron Johnson Merrett, aka Reez v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-11-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals-court-split buyer-seller-instruction circuit-split conspiracy-distribution controlled-substance drug-conspiracy federal-drug-offenses mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-felony A SPLIT EXISTS IN THE COURTS OF APPEALS REGARDING THE GRANTING BUYER-SELLER INSTRUCTION IN THE TRIAL OF FEDERAL CONSPIRACY AND DISTRIBUTION CASES. PE…
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 I. In August 2013, petitioner was indicted in federal court, in part, on charges of conspiring to distribute controlled substances. Petitioner was all…
21-6253 Baltazar Aguirre-Rivera v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-11-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process fifth-amendment jury-trial mandatory-minimum sentencing sixth-amendment special-interrogatory When a jury's answer to a special interrogatory negates an element of the charged offense, must a district court enter a judgment of acquittal when th…
21-6010 Robert D. Sutton v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-10-20 Denied Amici (1)IFP circuit-split compassionate-release criminal-justice criminal-sentencing judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums retroactivity sentence-reduction sentencing statutory-interpretation Under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), a defendant may seek a sentence reduction based, in part, on "extraordinary and compelling reasons." In 2018, Congres…
21-5825 Raqib Abdul Al-Amin v. South Carolina South Carolina 2021-09-29 Denied IFP compulsory-process constitutional-law constitutional-rights criminal-procedure cruel-and-unusual-punishment drug-offense due-process eighth-amendment evidence expert-witness mandatory-minimum sentencing-guidelines Whether the South Carolina Supreme Court error to akfirm the trial Coust's suling where the trial Court was convinced by the Sthte's 'thired-party gui…
21-347 Michael Jackson v. Donald Hudson, Warden Tenth Circuit 2021-09-03 Dismissed circuit-precedent federal-prisoner habeas-corpus mandatory-minimum saving-clause section-2255 statutory-maximum Whether a federal prisoner is entitled to bring a habeas claim under the saving clause of Section 2255(e) to challenge the unlawful application of a m…
21-5503 Eric Henry Woodberry and Bradford Marselas Johnson v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-08-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law criminal-statute firearm-length firearms mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums mens-rea prosecutorial-burden sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(B)(i) requires the government to prove that a defendant knew of the length of the firearm carried during the commission …
21-5480 Charles Bryant v. United States Second Circuit 2021-08-25 GVR Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3)IFP circuit-split crack-cocaine fair-sentencing-act first-step-act judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 increased the threshold amounts of crack cocaine – from 5 and 50 grams to 28 and 280 grams – needed to trigger two man…
21-5302 Roosevelt Rico Dahda v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-08-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne-v-united-states criminal-sentencing drug-quantity jury-determination mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence sixth-amendment statutory-maximum statutory-maximum-sentence 1. Whether a finding on the issue of drug quantity that increases the statutory maximum sentence requires the jury to make an individualized determina…
21-5100 Matthew James Haymond, Sr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-07-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP crack-cocaine criminal-sentencing drug-offenses fair-sentencing-act first-step-act mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-minimum plea-bargaining retroactive-application sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation Whether Mr. Haymond was improperly denied First Step Act § 404 relief from his mandatory life sentence under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A), where the distr…
20-8354 Lewis Wesley Hickman, III v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-06-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-history criminal-procedure due-process evidence-challenge felony-conviction judicial-review mandatory-minimum plea-bargaining sentencing-disparities sentencing-enhancements sentencing-guidelines why was my 3 points for accepting responsibility taken for a fight in jail. I Know I didnt say} "Cooperator"; I didnt Know him at all. why was I give…
20-8383 Franklin Antonio Rios v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-06-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-history criminal-history-category drug-conspiracy firearm-charges first-step-act fourth-amendment mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences offense-level sentencing-guidelines I. WHETHER, AFTER THE PETITIONER PLED GUILTY TO A DRUG CONSPIRACY AND TWO FIREARM CHARGES UNDER 18 U.S.C. § 924(0), RESULTING IN MANDATORY MINIMUM SEN…
20-8330 Ilmane Charone Campas Strong v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-06-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause constitutional-law criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-jurisdiction firearms judicial-fact-finding mandatory-minimum sixth-amendment supervised-release Whether 18 U.S.C. §922(g) permits conviction for the possession of any ammunition that has ever crossed state lines at any time in the indefinite past…
20-8285 Enrique Hurtado v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-06-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP bank-robbery crime-of-violence federal-armed-bank-robbery hobbs-act hobbs-act-robbery mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences physical-force statutory-interpretation L. By its plain language, Hobbs Act robbery does not require as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use, of violent physical force. The p…
20-8217 Donald R. Turner, Jr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-06-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-claim due-process fifth-amendment ineffective-assistance just-compensation mandatory-minimum private-property procedural-error sentencing-enhancement takings 1. WHETHER DEFENDANTS RECEIVED EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL DURING SENTENCING IN WHICH COUNSEL FAILED TO BRIEF OR PRESERVE THE SUPREME COURT'S RULI…
20-8039 Matthew J. O'Neal v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-05-17 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography criminal-law eighth-amendment mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-enhancement sexual-abuse statutory-interpretation Whether the Sixth Circuit erred by expanding the scope of the "relating to" language in 18 U.S.C. §2252A(b)(2) to include conduct under a state statut…
20-1586 Artavis Desmond McGowan v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-05-14 Denied Response Waived conspiracy constructive-amendment criminal-procedure drug-conviction evidence first-step-act mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-relief wiretap wiretap-evidence I. WHETHER THE DISTRICT COURT ERR IN DENYING McGOWAN'S MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL BASED ON CONSTRUCTIVE AMENDMENT OF THE INDICTMENT WHEN IT ALLOWED THE GOVE…
20-7851 Luis Noel Cruz, aka Noel v. United States Second Circuit 2021-04-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment contemporary-standards-of-decency criminal-procedure due-process individualized-sentencing juvenile-sentencing legislative-trends life-sentence mandatory-minimum miller-rule sentencing-discretion Should the protections of Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460, 132 S. Ct. 2455, 183 L. Ed. 2d 407 (2012), which prohibits mandatory life sentences and req…
20-7575 In Re Ivory Lee Robinson 2021-03-26 Denied IFP 14th-amendment 5th-amendment due-process equal-protection mandatory-minimum sentencing Question not identified.
20-7581 Michael Hernandez v. Florida Florida 2021-03-26 Denied IFP constitutional-rights fact-finding first-amendment judicial-discretion juvenile-sentencing life-sentence mandatory-minimum sentencing-factors sixth-amendment trial-judge 1. Whether Florida's juvenile sentencing statute - which mandates a life sentence if a certain finding is made and prohibits that sentence when that f…
20-7465 Johnny Andres Asuncion, III v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-03-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP carachuri-rosendo-v-holder criminal-sentencing felony-drug-offense mandatory-minimum ninth-circuit-precedent predicate-offense recidivism sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation The District Court Judge sentenced the Petitioner to life in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine , 21 U.S.C. Sect. 841(a)(…
20-7405 Jorge Rangel v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-03-10 Denied Relisted (2)IFP direct-appeal drug-cases first-step-act mandatory-minimum plain-error rehaif 1. Does the provision of the First Step Act, Pub. L. 115-391, 132 Stat. 5194 (Dec. 21, 2018), that amended 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1) to reduce mandatory-m…
20-7296 Dane Schrank v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-03-02 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3)IFP appellate-procedure due-process federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum oral-argument reasoned-decision sentencing-guidelines standing I. Must Circuit Courts provide reasoned decisions to deny parties oral argument under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34(a)(2)? II. Does a policy…
20-7253 Nancy Cole v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-02-25 Denied IFP constitutional-limits criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-statutes due-process fifth-amendment mandatory-minimum mens-rea sentencing statutory-interpretation strict-liability 1. Whether the knowingly mens rea in the federal drug statutes, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 960, applies to the elements of drug type and quantity that establis…
20-7024 Randy Macario Ancheta v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-02-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924c certificate-of-appealability circuit-split crime-of-violence criminal-sentencing due-process hobbs-act mandatory-minimum statutory-interpretation By its plain language, Hobbs Act robbery does not have as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use, of violent force. Hobs Act robbery's p…
20-6943 Ronald Lewis Coleman, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-01-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 circuit-split compassionate-release criminal-sentencing extraordinary-and-compelling-reasons first-step-act mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences sentence-reduction sentencing Whether the changes in applicable mandatory minimum sentences worked by the First Step Act can provide extraordinary and compelling reasons to support…
20-6910 El-Asad Alsaedi v. Florida Florida 2021-01-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process equal-protection federal-jurisdiction judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum sentencing-authority sentencing-guidelines standing statutory-interpretation Question not identified.
20-6870 Antonio Harris v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-01-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP crack-cocaine criminal-justice-reform first-step-act judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums retroactive-sentencing sentence-reduction sentencing-guidelines Can federal judges ignore the current United States Sentencing Guidelines calculation when considering whether to reduce a sentence for a "covered off…
20-6832 Shannon Keith Harris v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-01-11 Denied IFP cocaine-sentencing criminal-sentencing drug-trafficking fair-sentencing-act first-step-act mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums resentencing retroactivity sentencing-guidelines When deciding whether to impose a reduced sentence under Section 404 of the First Step Act, are district courts required to apply the current, legally…
20-6571 Antonio W. Smith v. M. Brecken, Warden Fourth Circuit 2020-12-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2255 career-offender habeas-corpus judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum miscarriage-of-justice sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Did the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court err by not hearing Petitioner's 28 U.S.C. §2241 petition on the merits where his misclassification as a career of…
20-5887 Charles Kunta Lewis, Jr. v. Michigan Michigan 2020-10-02 Denied IFP age-consideration brain-development constitutional-rights cruel-and-unusual-punishment cruel-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment individualized-sentencing juvenile-offender juvenile-sentencing mandatory-minimum sentencing I. The Constitution prohibits punishments that are cruel and unusual. In addition to the crime committed, the juvenile offender's age must also be tak…
20-5407 Dominique Mack v. United States Second Circuit 2020-08-19 Denied Relisted (4)IFP confrontation-clause criminal-procedure cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process evidence jailhouse-informant mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing plain-error sentencing statements-against-interest 1. Should the Court should grant certiorari in order to consider whether this Court's jurisprudence concerning the admission of statements against int…
20-5349 In Re Daryl L. Zimmer 2020-08-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-counsel due-process equal-protection ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandatory-minimum plea-agreement plea-bargain sentencing-guidelines THE TRIAL COURT DENIED PETITIONER DUE PROCESS AND EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW RIGHTS WHEN THE TRIAL COURT HAVING FULL KNOWLEDGE THAT PETITIONER PLED G…
20-5264 Lakento Brian Smith v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-08-05 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP crack-cocaine criminal-sentencing first-step-act guideline-range mandatory-minimum post-sentencing-conduct resentencing sentence-reduction sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation The First Step Act changed the penalty for petitioner's crack cocaine crimes from life in prison to 10 years to life and changed petitioner's guidelin…
20-5041 Justin L. Sain v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-07-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne-standard Alleyne-v-United-States burden-of-proof criminal-sentencing drug-statute federal-drug-statute mandatory-minimum Mullaney-v-Wilbur safety-valve The "safety valve," 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f) is a federal statute that, in combination with the federal drug statute, 21 U.S.C. § 841, determines whether a…
20-5015 James Latron Sumter v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-07-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment first-step-act guilty-plea mandatory-minimum plea-bargaining sentencing 1. WHETHER THE APPELLATE COURT ERRED IN AFFIRMING THE DISTRICT COURT'S RULING NOT ALLOWING SUMTER TO WITHDRAW HIS GUILTY PLEA? 2. WHETHER THE APPELLA…
19-1365 Ramon Hueso v. J. A. Barnhart, Warden Sixth Circuit 2020-06-12 Denied Relisted (2) 28-usc-2255 circuit-law circuit-split federal-prisoner habeas-corpus mandatory-minimum post-conviction-relief retroactivity savings-clause sentence-enhancement sentencing sentencing-enhancement Section 2255 of 28 U.S.C., which authorizes postconviction relief for federal prisoners, generally requires post-conviction motions be brought within …
19-8694 Joseph D. Rouse v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-06-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-851 appeal-waiver appellate-review due-process mandatory-minimum notice-requirement plea-agreement sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Does the express language of 21 U.S.C. § 851 requiring prior written notice of the particular conviction the government seeks to use to enhance a mand…
19-8645 Joe Cephus Ross v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-06-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography due-process mandatory-minimum prosecutorial-discretion sentencing separation-of-powers statutory-interpretation void-for-vagueness Does 18 U.S.C. § 2252A violate the Due Process Clause and the separation-of-powers doctrine because the statute allows a prosecutor to unilaterally se…
19-8474 Brittany Dawn Thomas v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-05-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(e) 18-USC-3553e criminal-procedure district-court judicial-authority mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-discretion separation-of-powers statutory-interpretation i. DOES A DISTRICT COURTS INABILITY TO DEPART BELOW A MANDATORY MINIMUM UNDER 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e), FOR ANY FACTOR OTHER THAN DEFENDANT'S SUBSTANTIAL A…
19-8469 Viengxay Chantharath v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-05-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-851 career-offender collateral-review criminal-procedure drug-convictions first-step-act mandatory-minimum retroactive-application sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether the First Step Act (FSA-2018) "altered "the statutes: 21 U.S.C.§ 841(a) (1)(b)(1) (A)-(B) also (C) for the prior drugI. con victions that qua…
19-8445 Freddie Lee Curry, aka King of da Hood, aka Rat v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-05-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-841 alleyne alleyne-ruling criminal-procedure drug-quantity fair-sentencing-act first-step-act mandatory-minimum sentence-reduction sentencing statutory-interpretation Did the District Court abused its discretion when it failed to to apply Alleyne to Appellant's sentence reduction under Section 404(b) of the First St…
19-8034 Whitney Atkinson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-03-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP crack-cocaine drug-offense fair-sentencing-act first-step-act mandatory-minimum retroactive-application sentence-enhancement statutory-interpretation Did Mr. Atkinson receive a sentence for a covered drug offense, such that he should be eligible for retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act…
19-8036 Odis Lee Jackson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-03-18 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-justice-reform criminal-resentencing district-court-procedure due-process federal-jurisdiction first-step-act judicial-review mandatory-minimum post-sentencing-conduct sentencing sentencing-modification sentencing-reform statutory-interpretation I. What procedures does Section 404 of the First Step Act require a district court to follow when conducting its statutorily required "complete review…
19-8013 Keith Alexander v. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2020-03-17 Denied IFP criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-ineffective-assistance-of-couns criminal-sentencing due-process federal-appellate-review firearms ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-interpretation mandatory-minimum mental-capacity sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction Question not identified.
19-8005 Harrison Garcia v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-03-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing direct-appeal edwards-v-arizona first-step-act mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums right-to-counsel sentencing sentencing-retroactivity statutory-interpretation Whether Section 403 of the First Step Act of 2018, enacted while Petitioner's case was pending on direct appellate review, apply where his sentence is…
19-7931 Nancy Arlene Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-appeal criminal-procedure-sentencing due-process fifth-amendment fifth-circuit government-misconduct methamphetamine-conspiracy miranda-rights sentencing-guidelines substantial-assistance supreme-court unconstitutional-motive Petitioner, NANCY ARLENE LOPEZ, appealed her ten-year statutory minimum sentence imposed after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import 500 or more …
19-7951 Rashad Taylor v. Florida Florida 2020-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment juvenile-offender juvenile-sentencing mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence miller-v-alabama 1. Does imposition of a mandatory sentence of forty years on a juvenile convicted of a homicide -a sentence imposed pursuant to a statutory scheme tha…
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…
19-7760 Jeremy Achey v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-02-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof conspiracy controlled-substance controlled-substance-analogue criminal-sentencing drug-conspiracy due-process federal-drug-law mandatory-minimum sentencing statutory-interpretation statutory-penalties 1. Whether, in cases where a drug conspiracy allegedly involves multiple substances, the government must prove that the defendant conspired to distrib…
19-7561 Ramiro D. Ramirez, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-02-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP application-note-3(c) application-note-3c court-of-appeals criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing criminal-sentencing district-court federal-sentencing-guidelines mitigating-role mitigating-role-adjustment paid-tasks proprietary-interest sentencing-guidelines supervisory-authority united-states-sentencing-guidelines ussg-3b1.2 Whether the Court of Appeals inappropriately affirmed the district court's denial of a mitigating role adjustment which contravened the factors and th…
19-7298 James Lee Bell v. Florida Florida 2020-01-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP apprendi-precedent blakely-rule criminal-procedure due-process judicial-discretion jury jury-trial mandatory-minimum recidivism recidivist-treatment sentencing sentencing-enhancement Q 1: Was the limitation of Almendarez-Torres and the dictates of Apprendi and Blakely violated? Florida in deciding whether Petitioner qualified for r…
19-7217 Rickey Thompson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-01-08 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP crime-of-violence criminal-law criminal-sentencing due-process elements-clause firearms johnson-davis-doctrine johnson-v-united-states mandatory-minimum second-degree-murder statutory-interpretation united-states-v-davis vagueness vagueness-doctrine L. Whether the residual clause of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(8) is unconstitutionally vague pursuant to Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015), and …
19-7021 Otis Hunter and Deshawn Evans v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-12-19 Denied IFP bias confrontation-clause criminal-procedure cross-examination jury-instructions jury-nullification mandatory-minimum nullification sentencing sixth-amendment witness-cooperation Whether the Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause is violated when a court bars a defendant from eliciting the mandatory minimum sentence a prosecution…
19-6865 Delante L. Lunn v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-12-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP but-for-causation but-for-test causation criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-distribution drug-offenses drug-overdose mandatory-minimum overdose-causation sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether this Honorable Court should re-evaluate the but-for test established by Burrage v. United States, 571 U.S. 204 (2014) for mixed drug overdoses…
19-6774 Albert Allen, Jr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-11-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-appeal due-process fair-sentencing-act ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandatory-minimum mens-rea prosecutorial-misconduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether the Court of Appeals Erred in Denying Petitioner's Application for a Certificate of Appealability to Appeal the District Court's Denial of His…
19-6420 Christopher Mark Heath v. United States Third Circuit 2019-10-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy conspiracy-law criminal-law criminal-statute drug-trafficking firearm-possession firearms mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation The mere presence of a firearm at the scene of a drug trafficking offense constitutes possession of the firearm "in furtherance of" the conspiracy for…
19-6417 Doran Wilburn Walker v. Texas Texas 2019-10-28 Denied IFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing cumulative-sentences double-jeopardy due-process oral-pronouncement-of-sentence presence-of-defendant sentencing statutory-authority trial-court-authority written-judgment 1. If a trial court wishes to cumulate sentences, must it so order at the time and place that sentence is orally pronounced? See Grays v State, 291 S.…
19-6389 Quincy Dennis v. J. A. Terris, Warden Sixth Circuit 2019-10-25 Denied IFP 28-usc-2255 categorical-approach drug-offense federal-procedure habeas-corpus habeas-corpus-relief-28-usc-2241 intervening-change mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence presidential-commutation presidential-pardon retroactive-application retroactively-applicable-decision sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation QUESTION # ONE: Whether petitioner Dennis is entitled to seek federal habeas corpus relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on the ground that 28 U.S.C. § 225…
19-6363 David Pearson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-10-24 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appeal-rights armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act categorical-analysis drug-offense drug-offenses ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandatory-minimum plea-agreement sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-maximum 1. Did the court of appeals, in rejecting petitioner's claim that his sentencing counsel provided ineffective assistance by failing to challenge his a…
19-6372 Kelby Germaine Parson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-10-24 Denied IFP appellate-review certificate-of-appealability circuit-split criminal-law criminal-statute due-process firearm-offense firearms mandatory-minimum statutory-interpretation statutory-vagueness vagueness I. Whether Petitioner is entitled to relief on his claim that 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3)(B) is unconstitutionally vague and his conviction under 18 U.S.C. …
19-6328 Antonio Leonard Brown v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-10-22 Denied Relisted (2)IFP civil-rights constitutional-violation criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process equal-protection federalism habeas-corpus jurisdictional-issue jury-selection mandatory-minimum state-criminal-procedure Does A State Constitutional violation Rise to the same severity As A United States Constitutional violation? If a majority of en banc Justices in A s…
19-6230 Claudius L. Fincher v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-10-09 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-procedure due-process factual-question jury-determination jury-trial mandatory-minimum safety-valve safetyvalve-statute sentencing sixth-amendment Does the district court's resolution of a contested factual question under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f) (safety-valve statute) for the purpose of determining w…
19-6113 Jose Armando Bazan v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-10-01 GVR Relisted (4)IFP appellate-procedure appellate-review cocaine-conspiracy criminal-appeal criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing downward-adjustment fact-question guidelines plain-error plain-error-review role-adjustment sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review Petitioner, JOSE ARMANDO BAZAN, was charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. T…
19-6115 Jose Manuel Aguirre-Ganceda v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-10-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP actual-innocence collateral-attack criminal-justice criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing drug-conviction due-process federal-law federal-state-comity mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-minimum prior-convictions sentencing sentencing-enhancement state-court-reduction state-law Whether a defendant is actually innocent of a mandatory life sentence once a prior state drug conviction relied upon by the District Court is set asid…
19-6019 Marco Antonio Murillo v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-09-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process federal-defendants indictment indictment-right mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing sentencing sentencing-enhancement united-states-v-haymond 1. Whether federal defendants enjoy the right to indictment as to some facts that alter the likely sentence within a mandatory range of punishment? Su…
19-6005 Robert L. Malone v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-09-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-history drug-quantity due-process jury-instructions mandatory-minimum methamphetamine-distribution prosecutorial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines supervisory-power 1.) Did the lower courts err when they imposed and affirmed Mr. Malone's sentence based on overreliance on his Criminal History? 2.) Is Mr. Malone's …
19-5996 Michael J. W. Potter v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-09-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment life-imprisonment mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing sentencing Whether entry of a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment violated Appellant's rights under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
19-5913 Sammie Lee Smith, IV v. Florida Florida 2019-09-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-crime aggravated-offense alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey constitutional-law criminal-charging criminal-procedure due-process jury-determination jury-trial mandatory-minimum sentencing sexual-felony Whether the facts triggering a mandatory minimum sentence under Florida's Dangerous Sexual Felony Offender Act, § 794.0115, Fla. Stat. (2016), togethe…
19-5871 Patrick Jones v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-09-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP attempt controlled-substance controlled-substances federal-crime federal-law guidelines-interpretation mandatory-minimum offer-to-sell preparatory-action sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation substantial-step tenth-circuit-precedent 1) Did the district court error in increasing Havis base offense level based upon its belief that the Commentary to &4Bli2 appropriately includes atte…
19-5889 Jonathan Torres-Arroyo v. New Jersey New Jersey 2019-09-10 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP alleyne-precedent alleyne-v-united-states criminal-procedure judicial-findings jury-trial mandatory-minimum ring-v-arizona sentencing sentencing-court state-v-kiriakakis Did the New Jersey Courts make an invalid distinction from Alleyne v. United States, 570 U.S. 99 (2013), in holding that the defendant's right to a ju…
19-5641 David Anthony Gordon v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-08-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal-waiver due-process government-breach judicial-assignment judicial-procedure mandatory-minimum plea-agreement safety-valve sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether, in reaching the decision to affirm in part and to dismiss in part, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has so far departed from the accepte…
19-5622 Cairo Lopez, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-08-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment booker cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process executive-power mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences sentencing separation-of-powers standing 1. This Court should consider whether combining in the Executive Branch the power to charge and the power to control sentences in statutory mandatory …
19-109 Giovanni Montijo-Dominguez v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-07-25 Denied Amici (2) 18-usc-3553 circuit-split criminal-sentencing drug-trafficking fact-finding judicial-discretion jury-findings jury-verdict mandatory-minimum preponderance-of-evidence sentencing-discretion standard-of-proof Whether a district court's findings of fact under 18 U.S.C. 3553(f) are constrained by the findings of fact implied by the jury's verdict
19-5112 Rafael Jacob Stoffel v. Florida Florida 2019-07-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment juvenile-victim mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence sentencing sentencing-guidelines sexual-assault sexual-offense sexual-offenses Whether a minimum mandatory sentence of twenty-five years' imprisonment imposed for the offense of touching a minor's breast violates the prohibition …
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…
18-1572 Matthew D. Priset v. Pennsylvania Third Circuit 2019-06-25 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) 8th-amendment constitutional-law criminal-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment cruel-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment life-sentence mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence mental-illness sentencing Does a mandatory minimum life sentence for one convicted under the guilty-but-mentally-ill designation constitute cruel and unusual punishment?
18-9615 Shawn Russell Sorensen v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-06-12 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appeal conflict-among-courts-of-appeals drug-felony drug-felony-offenses drug-offenses eighth-amendment first-step-act mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-enhancement simple-possession Whether petitioner's prior simple possession drug convictions under Arizona and South Dakota state law qualify as 'prior drug felony offenses' under 2…
18-9589 Nicholas Bradley Gilbert v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-06-07 GVR IFP appellate-review criminal-penalties criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing district-court district-court-discretion felon-possession interstate-commerce sentencing sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sentencing-review substantive-reasonableness Whether substantive reasonableness review requires or permits the courts of appeals to 'substantively second guess' the district court and/or to 'rewe…
18-9549 Mauricio Lucas-Lopez v. Tony Trierweiler, Warden Sixth Circuit 2019-06-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law cruel-and-unusual-punishment disproportionate-sentence eighth-amendment federal-court-decisions federal-courts guidance-needed mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence proportionality sentencing sentencing-guidelines Is petitioner's twenty-five year mandatory minimum sentence disproportionate to the offense committed violating the Eighth Amendment prohibition again…
18-9495 Jason Jones v. Martha Underwood, Warden Fifth Circuit 2019-05-31 Denied Relisted (2)IFP 28-usc-2241 28-usc-2255 federal-habeas-corpus federal-jurisdiction federal-statute habeas-corpus ineffective-remedy intervening-decision mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence post-conviction-relief retroactive-application retroactivity sentencing statutory-construction Whether petitioner is entitled to seek federal habeas corpus relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2241
18-9368 Antonio Dean Blackstone v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-05-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924c 2255-motion criminal-procedure-sentencing due-process johnson-decision johnson-v-united-states ninth-circuit residual-clause section-2255 section-924c timeliness-standard united-states-v-davis vagueness Whether the residual clause of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) is unconstitutionally vague
18-9070 Gabriel Urzua Sanchez v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-05-03 Denied IFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure direct-appeal district-court fifth-amendment first-step-act mandatory-minimum privilege sentencing witness-testimony Whether the district court abused its discretion in failing to properly determine that Mr. Sanchez's proposed witnesses had a valid Fifth Amendment pr…
18-9085 Juan Antonio Hunter v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-05-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility base-offense-level criminal-appeal criminal-procedure-sentencing criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion federal-sentencing-guidelines first-step-act sentencing-guidelines statutory-maximum u.s.s.g.-5g1.1(a) Whether the district court abused its discretion by deducting the three points awarded the petitioner for his acceptance of responsibility when those …
18-9019 Lony Tap Gatwas v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-04-29 Denied IFP aggravated-identity-theft circuit-split criminal-law felony mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentence mandatory-sentencing rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation Whether the Eighth Circuit erred in interpreting 18 U.S.C. § 1028A's prohibition on the 'use' of another's identity without lawful authority
18-8948 Angel Morales De-Jesus v. United States First Circuit 2019-04-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP 5th-amendment 6th-amendment conspiracy due-process leadership-enhancement mandatory-minimum sentencing sixth-amendment Whether the court erroneously applied a four-level leadership enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(a) in violation of Morales-De Jesus' Fifth and Sixth …
18-8892 Carlos Hernandez Machin v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-04-18 Denied IFP appellate-review certificate-of-appealability circuit-split constitutional-vagueness criminal-law criminal-statute due-process mandatory-minimum residual-clause samuel-johnson sessions-v-dimaya statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent vagueness Whether the Eleventh Circuit's denial of a certificate of appealability is in conflict with this Court's precedent when reasonable jurists are current…
18-8900 Juan Garcia Herrera v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-04-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne-v-united-states almendarez-torres-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey constitutional-challenge criminal-procedure drug-offense due-process judicial-factfinding jury-trial mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence prior-conviction sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether the enhanced-penalty provisions of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b) and 851 that require judicial factfinding about a prior conviction to increase the mand…
18-8821 Sealed Appellant v. Sealed Appellee Fifth Circuit 2019-04-15 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 18-usc-3582 18-usc-3582c2 5k1.1-motion criminal-sentencing judicial-discretion koons-v-united-states mandatory-minimum sentence-reduction sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines substantial-assistance Can a defendant receive a 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) sentence reduction when the district court discarded the mandatory minimum because of a substantial-a…
18-8792 Mario Devant Cheers v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-04-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-robbery career-offender constitutional-law criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process fifth-circuit-precedent mandatory-guidelines mandatory-minimum residual-clause sentencing sentencing-guidelines vagueness vagueness-doctrine Whether the Fifth Circuit misapplied Beckles to Mr. Cheers's pre-Booker sentence in light of Supreme Court precedent
18-8737 Mario Bachiller v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-04-09 GVR IFP categorical-approach certificate-of-appealability constitutional-vagueness criminal-law criminal-law-procedure due-process eleventh-circuit johnson-retroactivity mandatory-minimum residual-clause retroactivity section-924c vagueness vagueness-doctrine Whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)'s residual clause is unconstitutionally vague under Johnson v. United States
18-8472 James Allen Eapmon v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-03-19 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process first-step-act life-imprisonment mandatory-minimum sentencing statutory-interpretation whether-the-petitioner-was-denied-due-process
18-8224 Antonio Dickerson, aka Girbaud v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-03-01 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography constitutional-challenge fifth-amendment first-amendment mandatory-minimum mens-rea strict-liability Whether the child pornography offense set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) should be interpreted as including at least a recklessly mens rea element regar…
18-8205 Elamin Bashir v. United States Third Circuit 2019-02-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process individualized-jury-finding jury-finding jury-instructions mandatory-minimum sentencing Whether the mandatory minimum sentence was improperly imposed for drug-trafficking conspiracy, because individualized jury finding as to quantity of d…
18-8044 Lois Brooks v. United States Second Circuit 2019-02-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure government-rights judicial-integrity judicial-proceedings mandatory-minimum plain-error sentencing sentencing-error substantial-rights Does the government have 'substantial rights' such that actions taken in derogation of them may constitute 'plain error' under Fed. R. Crim. Pro. 52(b…
18-8055 Kevin Ventura v. United States Second Circuit 2019-02-21 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 18-usc-924c apprendi apprendi-v-new-jersey apprendi-violation circuit-split criminal-procedure due-process jury-consideration jury-instructions jury-trial mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Is Mr. Ventura is serving two life sentences imposed in violation of Apprendi v. New Jersey?
18-7920 Harold A. Habeck, II v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-02-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP consecutive-sentences criminal-procedure criminal-procedure,sentencing,mandatory-minimums,d criminal-sentencing discretion drug-offense drug-offenses firearms mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums predicate-crime sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation Whether the district court has discretion to consider less than the mandatory sixty month consecutive sentence for a predicate drug offense under 21 U…
18-7860 Timothy L. Barnes v. Michigan Michigan 2019-02-08 Denied IFP collateral-review constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process fourteenth-amendment jury-finding mandatory-minimum retroactivity sixth-amendment substantive-rule watershed-rule Does the Alleyne rule apply retroactively on collateral review?
18-7818 Marcos Castaneda v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-02-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne-v-united-states criminal-procedure drug-offense due-process judicial-finding jury-trial mandatory-minimum preponderance-of-evidence preponderance-of-the-evidence sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether a district court commits procedural error by basing its sentencing guideline calculation on a discretionary judicial finding by a preponderanc…
18-7767 Joshua Sanchez v. Texas Texas 2019-02-05 Denied IFP constitutional-interpretation court-of-appeals due-process fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence supreme-court-precedent supreme-court-precedents texas-court-of-appeals Whether the interpretation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments by the Texas Court of Appeals is in conflict with preceden…
18-7745 Alrick A. Evans v. Connecticut Connecticut 2019-02-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP affirmative-defense alleyne-precedent criminal-statute element jury-determination mandatory-minimum sixth-amendment united-states-v-alleyne Whether a state court may interpret a criminal statute so that a fact that triggers a mandatory minimum is termed an 'affirmative defenses' rather tha…
18-7623 James Goolsby v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-01-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582-c-2 appellate-procedure dillion-v-united-states exceptional-circumstances judicial-discretion mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing misapplication-of-guidelines miscarriage-of-justice official-victim-enhancement recall-of-mandate retroactive-amendment sentencing-guidelines Whether the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals abused its discretion in refusing to recall the mandate on the direct appeal to prevent a miscarriage of j…
18-7587 Biven Hudson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-01-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP 11th-circuit 28-usc-2255 certificate-of-appealability district-court eleventh-circuit magistrate-court mandatory-minimum minimum-mandatory-enhancement reasonable-jurists sentencing-enhancement sentencing-review Whether the appellate court erred in denying Mr. Hudson's motion for certificate of appealability
18-7496 Nemiah Allan v. Connecticut Connecticut 2019-01-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP affirmative-defense alleyne-precedent criminal-statute element jury-determination mandatory-minimum sixth-amendment united-states-v-alleyne Whether a state court may interpret a criminal statute so that a fact that triggers a mandatory minimum is termed an 'affirmative defenses' rather tha…
18-7417 Omari Robinson v. Illinois Illinois 2019-01-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP 2nd-amendment 8th-amendment constitutional-challenge criminal-law criminal-sentencing due-process illinois illinois-law mandatory-minimum sentencing statutory-vagueness vagueness weapon-enhancement Is the mandatory 25-year-to-life weapon enhancement imposed by Illinois courts unconstitutionally vague?
18-7351 Rahmad Lashad Geddes v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-01-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne appellate-review apprendi civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process ex-post-facto habeas-corpus mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-guidelines sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent Can a court of appeals sanction a lower court's departure from this court's well-established precedents that effectively conflates the standard of rev…
18-7340 Eric Dillon v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-01-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review circuit-split consecutive-sentences criminal-law criminal-procedure-sentencing due-process federal-statute mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimums sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation united-states-v-battle Whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(j) requires a minimum 10-year consecutive sentence
18-7098 Amos Junior Scott v. Heriberto H. Tellez, Acting Warden Ninth Circuit 2018-12-20 Denied IFP 28-usc-2241 28-usc-2255 federal-habeas-corpus federal-statute habeas-corpus inadequate-or-ineffective ineffective-assistance ineffective-remedy mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence nonexistent-prior-conviction prior-conviction sentencing-enhancement Whether Petitioner is Entitled to Seek Federal Habeas Corpus Relief Under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, From an Erroneous Mandatory Minimum Sentence, That Was Bas…
18-7032 Reginald L. Lomax v. United States Third Circuit 2018-12-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substances criminal-law drug-offense federal-drug-law federal-preemption mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences state-criminal-law statutory-interpretation Whether a state statute criminalizing possession of 'counterfeit' controlled substances qualifies as a 'serious drug offense' under the Armed Career C…
18-7000 Luis Rolando Bueno Jimenez v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-12-12 Denied IFP 18-usc-3553(f) circuit-split criminal-law drug-enforcement mandatory-minimum maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law safety-valve sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act is eligible for relief from a mandatory minimum sentence under the 's…
18-6917 Rodolfo Portela v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-12-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal competency-hearing conspiracy controlled-substance controlled-substances criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing drug-conspiracy drug-trafficking evidence-suppression firearm-possession sentencing sentencing-guidelines sufficiency-of-evidence Whether the district court erred in finding sufficient evidence of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
18-6801 Van McDuffy v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-11-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP accidental-killing bank-robbery criminal-law criminal-statute felony-murder intent mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing mens-rea sentencing statutory-interpretation What intent, if any, beyond the intent to commit bank robbery, is required to sustain a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(e), which imposes a mandator…
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
18-614 In Re George Houston 2018-11-09 Denied alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey collateral-review conspiracy conspiracy-liability criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-quantity jurisdictional-error mandatory-minimum retroactivity sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether the individualized drug quantity or the amount of drugs attributable to the conspiracy as a whole can trigger the mandatory minimum sentence f…
18-6472 James Gibson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP almendarez-torres criminal-procedure drug-offenses jury-trial mandatory-minimum prior-convictions reasonable-doubt recidivism sentencing sentencing-enhancement sixth-amendment Whether the Petitioner's sentence violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial
18-6482 Roger Alfred Anchundia-Espinoza v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-10-29 Denied IFP 18-usc-3553(f) criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-enforcement mandatory-minimum maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law safety-valve sentencing statutory-interpretation statutory-safety-valve united-states-v-mosquera-murillo Whether a criminal defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70501 et seq., and subject to a mandatory minim…
18-6358 Alj Hilton v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP and Are Plain and Affect Petitioner's Substantial -and-Are-Plain-and-Affect-Petitioner's-Substantial 18-usc-3661 5th-amendment appeal-waiver appeal-waiver,sentencing-guidelines,criminal-histo criminal-history criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum plain-error sentencing-guidelines substantial-rights trial-court-error Whether the mandatory five-year minimum sentence u Whether Petitioner's Appeal Waiver Is Inapplicable to Issues of Trial Court Error in Applying Sentencing Guidelines' Enhancements or in Calculating Cr…
18-6359 Uriel Gomez-Saavedra v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3661-3553 5th-amendment 5th-circuit-law constitutional-challenge criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-discretion mandatory-minimum sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent Whether the mandatory five-year minimum sentence under which Mr. Gomez-Saavedra was sentenced is unconstitutional and contravenes 18 U.S.C. 3661 and 3…
18-6169 Tracy L. Johnson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-10-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP 924(c)-statute conspiracy criminal-law criminal-procedure double-jeopardy drug-conspiracy drug-crimes due-process firearm-possession informant-testimony law-enforcement-conduct mandatory-minimum mandatory-sentencing sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether a defendant should be subject to a mandatory 25 year consecutive 924(c) sentence for the same drug Conspiracy
18-6212 Thomas Burgess v. Nicole English, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-03 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 28-usc-2255e amendment-782 criminal-procedure intervening-arrest mandatory-minimum miscarriage-of-justice precedent-change savings-clause sentencing sentencing-modification sentencing-relief-28-usc-2255e Whether a defendant can seek relief under the savings clause of 28 U.S.C. § 2255(e) when the court of appeals changes its binding precedent to what th…
18-6162 Lyanne Lemeunier-Fitzgerald v. Maine Maine 2018-10-02 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 4th-amendment 5th-amendment blood-test civil-rights consent-coercion criminal-penalties due-process implied-consent mandatory-minimum sentencing-enhancement warrantless-search Does a motorist voluntarily consent to a warrantless blood draw if she has been warned that refusal to submit will result in a mandatory minimum perio…
18-374 Wuilson Estuardo Lemus Castillo v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-09-21 Denied 18-usc-3553(f) 21-usc-960 circuit-split criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-enforcement mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act safety-valve sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether a criminal defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act is eligible for relief from a mandatory minimum sentence und…
18-5992 Amilcar C. Butler v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-09-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP amendment-782 commutation criminal-resentencing criminal-sentencing executive-branch executive-commutation judicial-branch judicial-discretion judicial-executive-branch-interaction mandatory-minimum sentencing-guidelines Does Butler's statutory mandatory minimum sentence initially imposed by the judicial branch and later commuted by the executive branch bar him from se…
18-5770 John Denton Rouse, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-08-28 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP but no text of a SCOTUS petition was provided in I cannot generate a question presented or identif please include the full text of the petition. chapman-v-united-states criminal-procedure drug-quantity due-process mandatory-minimum market-oriented-approach sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the government may commingle substances that pose an identifiable danger of misidentification to produce an aggregate mixture or substance con…
18-5680 Reginald McGee v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-08-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-assault armed-career-criminal armed-career-criminal-act commerce-clause criminal-procedure indictment mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence plea-colloquy sentencing-enhancement violent-felony Whether the defendant's prior conviction for aggravated assault qualifies as a violent felony under the Armed Career Criminal Act
18-5663 Curtis Lee Dale v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-08-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne-precedent alleyne-v-united-states criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-sentencing,mandatory-minimum,ju drug-quantity due-process eighth-circuit-error fourth-amendment,search-and-seizure,drug-sniffing- fourth-amendment,search-and-seizure,reasonable-exp jury-findings jury-rejection mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-enhancement Did the U.S. Court of Appeals For The Eighth Circuit err when it increased the Defendant's mandatory minimum sentence on the basis of a drug quantity …
18-188 Ivy T. Tucker v. United States Seventh Circuit 2018-08-10 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) circuit-split constitutional-deficiency constitutional-law criminal-procedure ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandatory-minimum offense-of-conviction out-of-circuit-precedent procedural-default sentencing sentencing-guidelines trial-counsel Whether trial counsel's failure to make an argument that courts of appeals outside the circuit have accepted amounts to constitutionally deficient ass…
18-5384 Wendell Rivera-Ruperto v. United States First Circuit 2018-07-30 Denied IFP 8th-amendment due-process due-process-clause eighth-amendment government-manipulation mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-minimum sentencing-enhancement sentencing-enhancements statutory-manipulation sting-operation sting-operations Whether the Eighth Amendment forbids the creation of a de-facto mandatory life without parole sentence through stacking 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) charges
18-5214 David R. McGinley v. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2018-07-11 Denied IFP collateral-review constitutional-error constitutional-law due-process ex-post-facto mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentencing new-substantive-rules retroactive-application retroactivity substantive-rules supreme-court-holdings Whether the state courts erred in not declaring the unconstitutional mandatory minimum sentencing statute retroactively applicable to cases on collate…
18-5112 Benjamin Fredrick Charles Robinson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-07-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP base-offense-level criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing dismissed-count due-process mandatory-minimum restitution sentencing-guidelines statutory-minimum upward-departure Whether a four-level upward departure for conduct underlying a dismissed count is reasonable when the conduct was already accounted for in the base of…