drug-trafficking

130 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-6568 James Dorelus v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2026-01-13 Pending Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights double-jeopardy drug-trafficking firearm-offense safety-valve sentencing-reduction Where a defendant pleads guilty to the crime of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime in violation of 18 USC § 924(c)(…
25-6524 Aderito Patrick Amado v. United States First Circuit 2026-01-08 Pending Response WaivedIFP collective-knowledge-doctrine criminal-procedure drug-trafficking evidence-suppression police-investigation traffic-stop 1. Following a months-long investigation into drug trafficking and while preparing to search an apartment within a large apartment complex, police obs…
25-6265 Rodney Hamilton Higgins, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-12-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure drug-trafficking evidence-preservation fourth-amendment probable-cause search-warrant 1. Whether the Fourth Amendment requires more than a defendant's status as a drug dealer and residential address to establish probable cause for a sea…
25A542 Deoman Reeves v. United States Eighth Circuit 2025-11-12 Application criminal-procedure drug-trafficking firearm-offense sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation supreme-court-review Whether the conjunctive language 'during and in relation to' in 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A) requires a distinct statutory interpretation beyond prior Sup…
25-512 Jibril Adamu v. United States Second Circuit 2025-10-24 Pending confrontation-clause criminal-procedure drug-trafficking extraterritorial-application sixth-amendment testimonial-hearsay 1. Whether the crime of possession with intent to distribute under 21 U.S.C. §959(c)(2) applies extraterritorially. 2. Whether a non-testifying analy…
25-5435 Antuan L. Wynn v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-08-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy-law constitutional-rights criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence-standard Whether charging a single conspiracy with proof of a chain of distribution relationships, and without proof that a defendant agreed to join the broade…
25A153 Jorge Enrique Barragan-Gutierrez v. United States Tenth Circuit 2025-08-06 Presumed Complete bruen drug-trafficking rahimi second-amendment supreme-court-precedent weapon-possession Whether a conviction for possessing a weapon in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is consistent with the Second Amendment's protection of indivi…
25-5116 Mark Ellis v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-07-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence-sufficiency firearm-possession reasonable-doubt I. DUE PROCESS REQUIRES SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO ALLOW A RATIONAL JURY TO FIND GUILT BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. WHERE THE EVIDENCE THAT A FIREARM WAS PO…
24-7293 Alexander Soto v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2025-05-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP arizona-v-gant criminal-procedure drug-trafficking fourth-amendment search-incident-to-arrest warrant-requirement Whether the search-incident-to-arrest exception from Arizona v. Gant applies to searches of containers in buildings or only in automobiles
24-7045 Margaret Ann Sutton v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-04-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-conviction drug-trafficking due-process evidence-sufficiency firearm-possession sentencing-guidelines Whether the evidence is legally sufficient to sustain multiple drug and firearm-related convictions and whether the imposed sentence violates due proc…
24-6824 Hansel Janel Rijo-Guerrero v. United States First Circuit 2025-03-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure downward-variance drug-trafficking sentencing-disparity sentencing-enhancement ussg-guidelines Whether the district court erred in imposing a two-level sentencing enhancement and denying a downward variance for a defendant convicted of drug traf…
24-6799 James Garfield Charles v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-03-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-intent drug-trafficking evidence-tampering firearm-usage jury-trial QP: Whether the government failed to prove a drug trafficking conspiracy and firearm usage in furtherance of the conspiracy
24-6659 Ronnie Lee Seward v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-02-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review career-criminal criminal-procedure drug-trafficking florida-law sentencing Did the District Court erroneously sentence Petitioner as a career criminal based on prior convictions for Florida trafficking in amphetamine?
24-6637 Roger Moss v. United States Tenth Circuit 2025-02-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure drug-trafficking fourth-amendment law-enforcement probable-cause search-warrant Does probable cause to believe a person is engaged in drug trafficking per se establish probable cause to search their home? If not, is the affiant's …
24A710 Mitchelle Derwin Robinson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-01-17 Presumed Complete admissibility-of-evidence criminal-procedure drug-trafficking evidence-rule-404b knowledge-and-intent propensity-evidence Whether evidence of prior drug trafficking can be admitted under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) to prove knowledge and intent without impermissibly r…
24-6186 Vicente Alejo Andres, Jr. v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-12-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law cruel-and-unusual-punishment drug-trafficking firearm-possession sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether mere possession of a firearm in the same location as drug trafficking constitutes possession 'in furtherance of' a drug offense under 18 U.S.C…
24-5829 Ricky Donnell Abner v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-10-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP constructive-amendment criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process geographical-location section-924c Whether a §924(c) 'Possession In furtherance of' offense requires geographical location proof when possession is alleged to have occurred simultaneous…
24A344 Jermaine Jamaica Campbell, Jr. v. William Gittere, Warden, et al. Ninth Circuit 2024-10-11 Presumed Complete certificate-of-appealability drug-trafficking ineffective-assistance jury-finding sentencing-enhancement sixth-amendment Whether the Sixth Amendment requires a jury to find the specific drug quantity necessary to impose a Level III drug trafficking sentence beyond a reas…
24-5211 Jerod Askew v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-08-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process firearm-possession firearms jury-instruction jury-instructions statutory-interpretation Whether a jury instruction under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) requires reference to 'mere presence' and allows for the jury to draw inferences from improper leg…
23-7762 Christopher McPherson v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-06-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure-appeal drug-trafficking felon-in-possession firearm-possession fourth-circuit-review plain-error-standard rehaif-test sentencing sentencing-discretion sufficiency-of-evidence Whether the Fourth Circuit erred in upholding the convictions on Count V and Count IV
23-1013 Dalibor Kabov and Berry Kabov v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-03-15 Denied brady-violation brady-violations drug-trafficking invited-error invited-error-doctrine jury-instructions napue-violation napue-violations ruan-v-united-states section-841 state-of-mind Whether the Ninth Circuit erred in upholding the petitioners' drug distribution conviction despite the conflict with Ruan v. United States
23-6827 Victor Leon-Moya v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-02-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-procedure drug-importation drug-trafficking enhancement-factors importation jurisdiction sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness whether-defendant-directed-codefendant
23A686 Clifford Laines, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-01-24 Presumed Complete armed-career-criminal-act criminal-statute drug-trafficking firearm-possession sentencing-guidelines serious-drug-offense Whether the Armed Career Criminal Act's definition of 'serious drug offense' requires a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years or more for the unde…
23-6550 Xavier Howell v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-01-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP drug-trafficking fourth-amendment fourth-amendment-protections probable-cause terry-stop terry-v-ohio vehicle-search vehicle-stop warrantless-search warrantless-stop Whether a Warrantless Stop of a Vehicle, Based Solely on Proximity to a Motel Known for Drug Trafficking, in the Absence of any Actual Violation of th…
23-6495 Peter Burno v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights conspiracy conspiracy-law controlled-substances criminal-law criminal-statute drug-trafficking drug-transfer due-process intent-to-distribute ninth-circuit sentencing Is the mere transfer of drugs from one person to another sufficient to prove a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substanc…
23-5908 Michael James Choulat v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-10-30 Denied IFP which expands the application of § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B) agency-deference criminal-law drug-trafficking firearm-possession firearms sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether Kisor's limits on courts' deference to an agency's interpretation of its own regulation permitted deference to Comment 14(B), which expands th…
23-5602 Curtis Morris Hartsfield, Jr. v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-09-15 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP attempted-crime attempted-distribution attempted-transfer circuit-split controlled-substances criminal-law drug-distribution drug-trafficking drug-transfer federal-criminal-law statutory-interpretation Whether an 'attempted transfer' of drugs under 21 U.S.C. § 802(8) includes any conduct that would also constitute an 'attempted distribution' of drugs…
23-5365 Marcus Roosevelt Taylor v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-08-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP asset-forfeiture civil-rights constitutional-rights criminal-procedure drug-proceeds drug-trafficking due-process mandatory-victim-restitution-act restitution restitution-order Whether the $228,304 restitution order infringes upon Marcus Taylor's constitutional rights
23-14 Delilah Guadalupe Diaz v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-07-05 Judgment Issued Amici (3)Relisted (2) criminal-procedure drug-trafficking evidence evidence-law expert-testimony mens-rea mental-state rule-704(b) rule-704b In a prosecution for drug trafficking—where an element of the offense is that the defendant knew she was carrying illegal drugs—does Rule 704(b) permi…
22-7806 Travis Charles Werkmeister v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing drug-offense drug-trafficking federal-sentencing-guidelines mens-rea methamphetamine-importation scienter-requirement sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the two-level enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(5) requires the government to establish the defendant's knowledge that the methamphetamine…
22-7401 Brandon Quane Hudson v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-04-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment criminal-procedure drug-trafficking fourth-amendment good-faith-exception magisterial-review magistrate-review probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant Whether the Leon good-faith exception applies to a search warrant that lacked sufficient probable cause to support a search
22-6908 Eduardo Guadalupe Melendrez-Soberanes v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-03-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof case-agent-testimony criminal-procedure drug-quantity drug-trafficking due-process evidence fifth-circuit photographic-evidence sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether the Fifth Circuit erred in affirming a district court's reliance on a case agent's approximation of the weight of unseized cocaine based prima…
22-6835 Deon'te Reed v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-02-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP 924c-conviction brecht-standard conspiracy-liability criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process harmless-error jury-instruction jury-instructions robbery-conspiracy stromberg-error Whether the Ninth Circuit erred in disregarding the prejudice resulting from Stromberg error and instead applying a per se harmless error test based o…
22-6793 Robert Loya, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-02-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-possession drug-trafficking evidence felon-in-possession gang-affiliation intent-to-distribute sentencing sufficiency-of-evidence Is there insufficient evidence to warrant a finding of guilty for Count 1: possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine over 50 grams and Coun…
22-6318 Eduardo Ocegueda-Ruiz v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-12-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process firearm-possession lenity sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Does a person possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A), when the person receives a…
22-6144 In Re Richard Daniels 2022-11-22 Denied Relisted (2)IFP amendment-violation constitutional-rights drug-policy drug-trafficking due-process exceptional-circumstances federal-custody liberty marijuana-classification Whether being in federal custody for marijuana-related offenses is a substantial denial of constitutional liberty without due process
22-5925 Christopher Santillanes Ceja v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-10-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment criminal-investigation drug-trafficking fourth-amendment investigative-duration law-enforcement probable-cause reasonable-suspicion traffic-stop Was the traffic stop of Mr. Ceja unreasonably prolonged?
22-5826 Alonzo Peters v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-10-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-materiality brady-v-maryland conspiracy criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process fifth-circuit kyles-v-whitley suppressed-evidence witness-testimony Whether a defendant's convictions for conspiracy and drug trafficking conspiracy must be vacated
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…
22-5204 Ramon Belducea-Mancinas v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-07-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender circuit-conflict controlled-substance drug-trafficking federal-drug-conviction fifth-circuit plain-error sentencing-guidelines Is it obvious error to find a prior federal drug trafficking conviction is a 'controlled substance offense' under the Sentencing Guidelines when the s…
22-5062 Zachary Chambers v. R. Thompson, Warden Third Circuit 2022-07-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process firearm-possession habeas-corpus retroactivity safety-valve-clause sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether Rehaif v. United States, 139 S. Ct. 2191 (2019), renders invalid the imposition of Petitioner's sentencing enhancement for possession of a fir…
21-8278 Glen Hunsberger v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-06-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP drug-conspiracy drug-trafficking due-process fifth-amendment mens-rea statutory-interpretation vagueness vagueness-doctrine Whether the aggregation of two statutes, one requiring specific intent and the other strict liability, results in a vague statute in contravention of …
21-7623 Mary Ann Lara v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-04-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP Section 841 burden-of-proof controlled-substances criminal-intent criminal-law drug-quantity drug-trafficking federal-prosecution mens-rea rehaif-v-united-states statutory-interpretation Whether the Government must prove a defendant's knowledge of drug type and quantity in prosecutions under Title 21, Section 841
21-7356 Stacey Tremaine Johnson v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-03-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence firearm-possession guideline-calculation jury-instruction jury-instructions sentencing sentencing-reasonableness standard-of-proof uncharged-conduct Whether there was sufficient evidence for the jury to find the petitioner guilty of drug-trafficking,firearm-possession
21-7078 Jawan Fortia v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-02-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split civil-rights drug-trafficking due-process interstate-commerce judicial-fact-finding racketeering rico-act taylor-v-united-states Whether the government can obtain a RICO conviction without proving the targeted enterprise's activities affected interstate commerce, if members enga…
21-6915 Maxwell Gaffney v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-01-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof causation criminal-law criminal-statute drug-distribution drug-trafficking federal-law foreseeability judicial-review jury-instructions proximate-cause sentencing Whether the enhanced penalty provision of 21 U.S.C. §841(b)(1)(C) requires a showing of proximate causation
21-6578 Gregory Leri v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-12-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-history downward-adjustment drug-trafficking first-step-act safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-minimum Whether the safety valve criteria under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) are conjunctive or disjunctive
21-6284 Marc Blane Baccus v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-11-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP border-trafficking criminal-sentencing drug-importation drug-trafficking guideline-enhancement importation methamphetamine methamphetamine-offense mexico sentencing-guidelines Whether Appellant's Sentence should have been enhanced for methamphetamine Importation from Mexico under §2D1.1(B)(5)
21-6233 Joe Lenard Rodriguez v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-11-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy conspiracy-to-distribute criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence evidence-sufficiency jury-trial methamphetamine Did the courts below err in convicting the Petitioner of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine?
21-6148 Lonnie Earl Parlor v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-11-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-sentencing drug-trafficking enhancement-factors firearm-possession firearms relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines specific-offense-characteristics statutory-maximum uncharged-conduct Whether a defendant's uncharged possession of firearms is 'relevant conduct' for sentencing enhancement
21-6014 Yina Maria Castaneda Benavidez, aka La Reina, aka Ingeniera v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-10-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal conspiracy constitutional-rights criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence evidence-standard knowledge-element sentencing sentencing-disparity Did the Eleventh Circuit reversibly err in affirming a conviction for which the Government failed to prove the essential element of knowledge or reaso…
21-5610 Willie M. Hardy, Jr. v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-09-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender confession crime-of-violence criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process firearm-possession jury-instructions malicious-wounding sentencing sentencing-factor sufficiency-of-evidence Whether Virginia Code 18.2-51 is a crime of violence
21-5513 Christopher Seckington v. Mark S. Inch, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2021-08-30 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP chapman-v-united-states constitutional-law cruel-and-unusual-punishment drug-trafficking eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance sentencing sentencing-guidelines sixth-amendment urine-testing Question not identified
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…
21-5099 Thomas Javion Guerrant v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-07-14 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (4)IFP career-offender controlled-substance drug-trafficking federal-law predicate-offense sentencing-guidelines state-conviction Does a state conviction for distribution of a substance not defined as a 'controlled substance' by federal law qualify as a career offender predicate …
20-8318 Jason C. Youker v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-06-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-rights drug-trafficking due-process fifth-amendment informant-distribution law-enforcement narcotics police-misconduct standing takings Do police violate the Fifth Amendment when providing narcotics to confidential informants?
20-8194 Irvin Moreno v. DeWayne Hendrix, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-06-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-procedure-act bureau-of-prisons drug-trafficking nonviolent-offense sentence-reduction sentencing-reduction statutory-interpretation supervised-release Whether the BOP violated the plain meaning of the relevant sentencing statutes and regulations by categorically disqualifying a prisoner convicted of …
20-8029 Steven D. Warren, Jr. v. Indiana Indiana 2021-05-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-violation civil-rights drug-trafficking due-process fourth-amendment nexus probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant warrant warrant-application Whether a search warrant application that fails to provide any particularized nexus between an individual's alleged drug trafficking activity and the …
20-7746 Miguel Angel Mendoza v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-04-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process fair-trial mens-rea sentencing Whether 21 U.S.C. § 960 requires the defendant to know the type and quantity of the drug involved in the offense?
20-7632 Shannon D. Hixon v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-04-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP causation criminal-law criminal-statute death-results drug-overdose drug-trafficking due-process foreseeable-result jury-instruction jury-instructions sentencing Whether a defendant may be convicted under the 'death results' provision of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) without instructing the jury that it must decide …
20-7181 Quincy O'Neill Taylor v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-02-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924(c) criminal-procedure drug-trafficking firearm firearm-possession government-burden-of-proof ineffective-assistance-of-counsel statutory-interpretation united-states-v-dye united-states-v-frady Whether the phrase 'in furtherance of' in 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A) requires the government to show a 'nexus' between the firearm and the drug traffickin…
20-7122 Adam Lloyd Cooper v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-02-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP aiding-and-abetting criminal-law criminal-statute drug-trafficking firearm-possession firearms intent mens-rea rosemond-v-united-states Whether Sec. 924(c) contains a specific mens rea requirement
20-7095 Gary S. Colldock v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-02-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP dark-web drug-trafficking fourth-amendment probable-cause search-warrant staleness Whether the information in the application for the warrant to place the GPS device on Colldock's vehicle was 'stale'
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 Whether district courts are required to apply the current, legally correct Sentencing Guideline range or the old Sentencing Guideline range that appli…
20-6713 Danielle Devona Jones v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-12-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process fifth-amendment firearm-offense grand-jury-indictment indictment section-924c statutory-interpretation Whether Section 924(c) criminalizes two separate offenses - 'carry or use' and 'possession in furtherance of' - and whether both elements must be expl…
20-6674 Tony Chevallier v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-12-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-acts criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process judicial-discretion jury-conviction sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines statutory-range uncharged-conduct When are trial judges prohibited from considering as sentencing factors criminal acts that a defendant was neither charged nor convicted of?
20-6465 Damontaze Montrell Tillery v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-11-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP convicted-felon criminal-evidence criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process firearm-possession motion-for-acquittal sentencing sentencing-guidelines sufficiency-of-evidence Whether the evidence at trial was sufficient to convict Petitioner
20-6153 Jurmaine A. Jeffries v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-10-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law drug-statute drug-trafficking proximate-causation proximate-cause rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether the 'death enhancement' of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) requires proximate causation
20-5930 Diego Palacios-Villalon v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-10-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review burden-of-proof criminal-procedure culpability drug-trafficking judicial-discretion mitigating-role sentencing-guidelines Does a defendant have the sole obligation in the establishment of these elements or does the trial judge have a duty to inquire into them?
20-5868 Manuel Acosta-Lopez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-10-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP in a run-of-the-mill drug smuggling case between is a participant who had a managerial role in the criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-smuggling drug-trafficking managerial-role mexico-united-states-border mexico-us-relations minor-role participant-classification role-adjustment role-in-offense sentencing-guidelines Whether a participant with a managerial role is excluded from being considered an 'average participant' for USSG § 3B1.2 minor role comparison
20-5571 Angel C. Pacheco v. Maine Maine 2020-09-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP any-persons-present collective-searches criminal-procedure drug-trafficking fourth-amendment probable-cause search-warrant warrant-standard Whether the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause that each person present will possess evidence of a crime, or only that the collective searches o…
20-256 Zavian Munize Jordan v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-09-01 Denied Amici (2) 18-usc-924c circuit-split criminal-procedure criminal-statute drug-trafficking firearm-possession predicate-crime statutory-interpretation violent-crime Whether separate convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1) require separate predicate crimes and separate acts of using, carrying, or possessing a firea…
20-5478 Fernando Hernandez v. United States First Circuit 2020-08-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure discretion domestic-violence drug-trafficking due-process sentencing sentencing-discretion Was Hernandez' due process rights violated when the district court abused its discretion in relying on Hernandez' domestic violence past in sentencing…
20-5093 Dion Clayborn v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-07-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender congressional-intent deference-to-agency drug-trafficking guideline-commentary recidivism sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the Eighth Circuit's interpretation of 28 U.S.C. § 994(h) and the Sentencing Commission's use of commentary to expand the definition of 'contr…
20-5055 Juan Carlos Castellanos Muratella v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-07-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender circuit-conflict controlled-substance controlled-substances counterfeit-controlled-substances criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process imitation-controlled-substances simulated-substance statutory-interpretation Is a statute that includes simulated controlled substances, imitation controlled substances, and counterfeit controlled substances categorically a con…
19-8698 Neal Scott Stone v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-06-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability circuit-split drug-trafficking due-process entrapment-defense habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel police-informant sixth-circuit whether-the-sixth-circuit's-amended-order-conflicts-with-lozada-v-deeds
19-1313 Donovan Dave Dixon v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-05-22 Denied Response Waived controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-liability drug-trafficking gonzalez-v-oregon medical-malpractice medical-practice mens-rea standard-of-care Whether juries must be instructed that the government must prove that a physician acted with the mens rea of intent as to issuing a prescription outsi…
19-8513 Edward Javier Catano Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-05-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP drug-trafficking due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law maritime-drug-law maritime-law pinkerton-doctrine subject-matter-jurisdiction Does due process require a nexus between the defendant and the United States under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act?
19-8399 Reshon Tolliver v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-05-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-statute drug-payment drug-trafficking evidence federal-law money-laundering statutory-interpretation Whether mere payment for drugs constitutes sufficient evidence for a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 1956?
19-8263 Larry Wesley Brown v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-04-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-possession drug-trafficking felony-enhancement guidelines gun-possession sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit conflicts with the decisions of other Circuits on an important matter…
19-8218 Angel Paz-Alvarez v. United States First Circuit 2020-04-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-853 appeals controlled-substances criminal-forfeiture drug-trafficking due-process standing statutory-interpretation third-party third-party-interest Whether modern criminal forfeiture statutes can be squared with the Due Process Clause and whether petitioner can properly be considered a third-party…
19-8104 Juan Gonzalez-Arias v. United States First Circuit 2020-03-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split constitutional-rights criminal-procedure drug-trafficking fourth-amendment home-search nexus probable-cause right-to-counsel search-warrant sixth-amendment Was there sufficient evidence of probable cause to establish a nexus between Mr. Gonzalez-Arias's drug trafficking activity and his home to justify se…
19-7952 Michael Deon Thompson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-841 criminal-law criminal-statute drug-distribution drug-trafficking proximate-cause sentencing serious-bodily-injury statutory-interpretation strict-liability Whether the language 'death or serious bodily injury results from' in 21 U.S.C. § 841 creates a strict liability crime, without a foreseeability or pr…
19-7820 Marcus Derby v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-02-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split conspiracy conspiracy-involvement criminal-procedure drug-trafficking essential-participant minor-participant minor-role reduction sentencing-guidelines supplier Does being a supplier to a drug trafficking organization categorically bar a defendant from receiving the 'minor participant' reduction under the Sent…
19-7457 Rogelio Villarreal-Estebis v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-01-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP complete-defense criminal-conviction criminal-procedure drug-trafficking evidence-exclusion federal-rule-of-evidence-403 right-to-defense rule-403 sixth-amendment sixth-amendment-rights vehicle-ownership Whether the Fifth Circuit's decision to affirm the trial court's refusal to admit the evidence was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable applicatio…
19-7335 Chad Prodoehl v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-law drug-conspiracy drug-crimes drug-trafficking due-process inchoate-offense inchoate-offenses overt-act sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether a 'results in death' statutory enhancement can apply to a 21 U.S.C. § 846 conspiracy offense, and if so, whether that element must be agreed u…
19-7341 Joey D. Wiseman, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP congressional-intent criminal-law drug-crimes drug-felonies drug-policy drug-trafficking due-process equal-protection sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether Congress should re-evaluate the inequity in changing the enhancement level for prior drug felonies under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b)(1)(A)-(B) but not…
19-7305 William James Springer v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-01-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP actual-possession constructive-possession criminal-procedure drug-trafficking firearm-possession foreseeability jointly-undertaken-activity sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines Whether a defendant's sentence can be enhanced under U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(1) for possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense …
19-7057 Johnny L. Shelton v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-12-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-841 21-usc-846 conspiracy controlled-substance criminal-penalty drug-conspiracy drug-trafficking fifth-amendment inchoate-crime sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether the 'death results' enhanced penalty provisions of 21 U.S.C. §841(b)(1)(C) apply to a prosecution for the inchoate crime of conspiracy to comm…
19-6539 Dwayne Dumont Haizlip v. Joseph Valliere Fourth Circuit 2019-11-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-challenge constitutional-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process fourteenth-amendment habitual-felon-law habitual-offender mandatory-sentencing sentencing Whether the federal court erred in upholding the petitioner's mandatory sentence for a drug-trafficking conviction under North Carolina General Statut…
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 Whether the mere presence of a firearm at the scene of a drug trafficking offense constitutes possession of the firearm 'in furtherance of' the conspi…
19-5983 Alejandro Llamas-Delgado v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-09-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof conspiracy controlled-substances criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-conspiracy drug-trafficking due-process statutory-interpretation sufficiency-of-evidence supreme-court-precedent Whether the lower court's decision conflicts with Supreme Court and other circuit precedent concerning the government's burden to prove the evidence w…
19-5450 Paul Suarez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-08-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924c appeal conviction criminal-conviction criminal-procedure drug-trafficking firearm-offense jury-unanimity law-of-the-case legal-sufficiency manifest-injustice sufficiency-of-evidence Did the panel err by holding that the 'law of the case' governed its decision in holding that the evidence was legally sufficient to sustain the petit…
19-129 Neil Feinberg, et al. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue Tenth Circuit 2019-07-26 Denied Response Waived civil-rights controlled-substances-act drug-policy drug-trafficking federal-preemption federalism interstate-commerce irs-tax-code marijuana-legalization preemption state-legalization state-rights tax-law Did the Tenth Circuit err in holding that the Controlled Substances Act superseded and preempted Colorado marijuana laws?
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
19-5183 Miguel Grado v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-07-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924c circuit-split crime-of-violence criminal-procedure criminal-statute drug-trafficking due-process firearm-use firearms multiple-offenses sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) for using a firearm to further a crime of violence or drug-trafficking crime may rest on more than one u…
19-5166 Henry Vazquez Valois v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-07-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause congressional-power congressional-powers criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process enumerated-powers extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-national international-law international-waters maritime-law Whether the prosecution of Mr. Vazquez Valois — a Colombian national with no ties to the United States — for trafficking cocaine in international wate…
19-5105 Rudy Espudo v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-07-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split crime-of-violence criminal-conviction criminal-justice criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process firearm-statute firearms sentencing statutory-interpretation underlying-offense Whether a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) for using a firearm to further a crime of violence or drug-trafficking crime may rest on more than one u…
18-9789 Dan Pizarro v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-06-25 Denied IFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing direct-appeal drug-offenses drug-trafficking first-step-act prior-convictions prior-felony-conviction sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-minimum Whether Pizarro is entitled to the application of the First Step Act amendments to the statutory minimum sentences applicable to his drug trafficking …
18A1333 Alfredo Beltran Leyva v. United States District of Columbia 2019-06-19 Presumed Complete criminal-procedure drug-trafficking evidence-sufficiency guilty-plea plea-withdrawal sentencing Whether a district court may deny a criminal defendant's motion to withdraw a guilty plea after the defendant seeks to proceed to trial and challenges…
18-9328 Diego Portocarrero Valencia v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-05-17 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP confrontation-rights criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process high-seas-offense jurisdiction maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law safety-valve sentencing stateless-vessel Is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) unconstitutional because no minimum contacts between the accused and the United States are required t…
18-9168 Melissa Owens v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-05-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights controlled-substances criminal-history drug-trafficking due-process equal-protection plea-agreement racial-discrimination school-desegregation sentencing sentencing-guidelines voting-rights Whether the district court erred in calculating the defendant's criminal history score and sentencing range under the United States Sentencing Guideli…
18-8957 Scott Matthew Goss v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-04-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process federal-courts sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines weapon-possession May a court accept a mere allegation of possession of a weapon as satisfaction of the Government's initial burden of proof requirement supporting the …
18-1230 Juan Zamudio v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-03-21 Denied 4th-amendment circuit-split civil-rights criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process fourth-amendment nexus-requirement particularized-nexus probable-cause residence search-and-seizure search-warrant standing Whether a search warrant application that fails to provide any particularized nexus between an individual's alleged drug trafficking activity and the …
18-8456 Roberto Miramontes Roman v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-03-19 Denied IFP 18-USC-924(c)(1)(A) acquittal conviction criminal-procedure double-jeopardy Double-Jeopardy-Clause drug-trafficking due-process federal-prosecution Firearm-Possession firearm-statute Prosecution state-court-acquittal state-federal-prosecution statutory-interpretation Did it violate the Double Jeopardy Clause for the United States to prosecute Mr. Roman for the same offense and conduct for which he was acquitted in …
18-8293 Rodolfo Rivero Garcia, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-03-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment border-patrol border-search drug-interdiction drug-trafficking fourth-amendment reasonable-suspicion terry-stop traffic-stop vehicle-search vehicle-stop Whether the stop of Mr. Garcia's vehicle was supported by reasonable suspicion under the Fourth Amendment
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…
18-1122 Alpenglow Botanicals, LLC, et al. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-02-27 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) 26-usc-280e administrative-determination administrative-determinations administrative-law civil-rights criminal-culpability criminal-law criminal-penalties drug-crimes drug-trafficking due-process irs irs-investigation section-280e standing tax tax-deductions tax-law Taxpayer's challenge to IRS authority to investigate federal drug law crimes and administratively determine criminal culpability under 26 U.S.C. §280E…
18-8133 Daryl Mingo v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-02-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-plea-bargaining drug-trafficking due-process firearm-offense firearms plea-bargaining plea-colloquy sentencing statutory-construction When Congress enacted and amended 18 U.S.C. Section 924(G)(1)
18-7964 Rafael Santos v. United States Second Circuit 2019-02-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-sentencing drug-trafficking federal-officer firearms motion-for-reduction-of-sentence sentencing-guidelines Whether the district court erred when it denied petitioner's section 3582(c)(2) motion?
18-7914 Jay Maurice Tharps v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-02-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment anonymous-informant drug-trafficking fourth-amendment leon-exception leon-good-faith-exception partially-rotten-fruit probable-cause search-warrant totality-of-circumstances totality-of-the-circumstances Whether the Fourth Circuit erred in determining that probable cause existed
18-7609 Merlin Alston v. United States Second Circuit 2019-01-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-924c 18-usc-926b criminal-law-enforcement-officer-exemption criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process firearm-possession firearms law-enforcement sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Is the conviction of a local police officer, required to carry a service pistol when off duty, excluded from prosecution for violating 18 U.S.C. 924(c…
18-7323 Robert Willis v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-01-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP acca armed-career-criminal-act career-offender criminal-law criminal-procedure drug-trafficking prior-conviction prior-convictions sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-maximum violent-felony Whether petitioner Willis's 'B&E Occupied' is a violent felony under ACCA?
18-7264 Joel E. Miller v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-01-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-liability drug-trafficking gonzales-v-oregon jury-instructions medical-malpractice medical-practice medical-practitioner prosecutorial-discretion standard-of-care united-states-v-moore Whether the phrase 'issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his professional practice' mus…
18-7095 Miguel Robinson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-12-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment circumstances circumstantial-evidence criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process fourth-amendment probable-cause reasonable-search rigid-legal-rules rule-of-law search search-and-seizure search-warrant Did the Court of Appeals violate the principle that rigid legal rules are ill-suited to an analysis of probable cause by relying on a rule to find a m…
18-7050 Javier Portillo v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-12-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP border-crossing border-search criminal-evidence criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence jury knowledge-standard mens-rea narcotics-possession ninth-circuit standard-of-proof sufficiency-of-evidence trial-sufficiency Whether the Ninth Circuit's analysis of the facts was inadequate
18-6912 Bryant Lamar Monie v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-12-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act criminal-law criminal-statute drug-trafficking federal-jurisdiction federal-law felony-conviction persistent-felony-offender sentencing sentencing-enhancement state-law statutory-interpretation Whether the Defendant's Kentucky Drug trafficking conviction fulfills the conviction requirement under the Federal Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA)?
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
18-6665 Maurice T. Smith v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-11-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-analysis categorical-approach criminal-law drug-offenses drug-trafficking due-process felony-drug-offense recidivism recidivist-enhancement statutory-interpretation vagueness vagueness-doctrine Whether the intent of Congress was to restrict the application of 21 U.S.C. § 841's recidivist enhancement to prior drug trafficking crimes that quali…
18-6666 Oscar Sosa v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-11-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP confrontation-clause crawford-v-washington criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process expert-testimony plain-error-review prosecutorial-misconduct sixth-amendment witness-credibility Whether a federal agent's testimony about an out-of-court agent's report of drug trafficking by an unindicted coconspirator violates the Confrontation…
18-6563 Jesus R. Gonzalez-Negron v. United States First Circuit 2018-11-06 Denied IFP criminal-law criminal-statute drug-trafficking due-process factual-basis firearm-possession firearms guilty-plea machine-gun-possession plea-bargaining statutory-interpretation Is evidence of a loaded machine gun and drugs within a person's residence an adequate factual basis to support a guilty plea to possession of a firear…
18-6248 Antonio Mercedes-Rijo v. United States First Circuit 2018-10-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP congressional-power criminal-procedure define-and-punish-clause drug-trafficking due-process federal-jurisdiction high-seas mitigating-role sentencing sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-3b1.2 statutory-interpretation united-states-sentencing-commission Whether the Petitioner's Mitigating Role Should of Been Adjusted In Accordance With The United States Sentencing Guidelines § 3B1.2
18-6151 Claude Thelemaque v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-01 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP burden-of-proof cocaine-distribution conspiracy criminal-law criminal-law-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence evidence-admissibility jurisdiction standard-of-proof witness-testimony Whether the government failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Thelemaque conspired to distribute cocaine with knowledge that it would be impor…
18-6036 Donald S. Harden v. United States Seventh Circuit 2018-09-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP causation criminal-statute drug-trafficking mandatory-life-imprisonment mandatory-sentencing proximate-cause racial-disparities rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation strict-liability Whether proof of proximate cause is required for the 'death results' sentencing enhancement under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B)
18-5885 Kenneth Kennedy Shannon v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-09-05 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process evidence heroin-quantity motion-for-acquittal motion-for-new-trial motion-to-suppress search-and-seizure sentencing sufficiency-of-evidence title-iii-wiretap verdict-acquittal Did the trial court err in denying the Petitioner's Motion for Verdict of Acquittal and for New Trial, because the evidence taken in the light most fa…
18-5835 Juan Fernando Lizarraga-Leyva v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-08-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-felony controlled-substance deportation drug-trafficking drug-trafficking-crime illicit-trafficking immigration-law immigration-nationality-act mens-rea state-law statutory-interpretation Whether a state drug-trafficking conviction with no mens rea element or a mens rea element different than federal law constitutes the 'aggravated felo…
18-5684 Alejandro Verduzco-Rangel v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-08-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-felony controlled-substance deportation drug-trafficking immigration-law immigration-nationality-act mens-rea statutory-interpretation whether a state drug-trafficking crime with no mens rea element or a mens rea element different than federal law constitutes the 'aggravated felony' o…
18-5332 Davon Merkiese Kemp v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-07-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment criminal-procedure drug-crimes drug-trafficking evidence fourth-amendment home-search probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant unreasonable-search Whether a police officer's generalized opinion that drug dealers often keep drugs and other evidence of their trafficking activities in their homes is…
18-5046 Giezi Magno Zamora v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-06-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process eleventh-circuit evidence habeas-corpus international-law judicial-review maritime-law sentencing sentencing-reasonableness writ-of-certiorari Whether the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals erroneously denied a motion where the petitioner showed new evidence to warrant an immediate release due…
18-5011 Xavier Cardona v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-06-28 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 4th-amendment 5th-amendment appellate-review asset-seizure burden-of-proof civil-forfeiture currency-seizure drug-trafficking drug-transaction due-process evidence-standard judicial-conversion procedural-due-process property-rights sentencing-guidelines Was the court of appeals correct in affirming the district court's conversion of the petitioner's seized cash into cocaine when there was no evidence …