rule-of-lenity
69 cases — ← All topics
| Case | Title | Lower Court | Docketed | Status | Flags | Tags | Question Presented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-817 | Charles W. Christopher v. United States | Seventh Circuit | 2026-01-09 | Pending | Response Waived | criminal-law judicial-ambiguity legal-interpretation rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation supreme-court-standards | What degree of statutory ambiguity triggers the rule of lenity? |
| 25-6482 | Arianne Alexys Myles v. Florida | Florida | 2026-01-06 | Pending | IFP | constitutional-interpretation due-process florida-constitution indefinite-imprisonment judicial-oath rule-of-lenity | 1. What were the Framers' of the Florida Constitution trying to do when they wrote Article I, Section 17 that prohibits "indefinite imprisonment "? 2… |
| 25-6409 | Krystle Hoffman v. Illinois | Illinois | 2025-12-19 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | absurd-principles-doctrine due-process fourteenth-amendment rule-of-lenity sentencing-statute statutory-construction | Whether a defendant's due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment are violated when a court refuses to apply the rule of lenity to an ambiguous … |
| 25-5476 | Leigh Valorie Ford v. Florida | Florida | 2025-08-27 | Denied | IFP | constitutional-interpretation florida-constitution indefinite-imprisonment judicial-oath life-sentence rule-of-lenity | 1. What was the Framers' of the Florida Constitution trying to do when they wrote Article I, Section 17 that prohibits "indefinite imprisonment "? 2.… |
| 25-5410 | Kyle Syphax v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2025-08-19 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | circuit-split judicial-ambiguity penal-provision plain-text rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation | When Circuits split over a penal provision's meaning, with each side believing that its competing, rational interpretation is compelled by the provisi… |
| 25-5276 | David Leroy Earls v. United States | Tenth Circuit | 2025-08-05 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-law due-process fifth-amendment rule-of-lenity sexual-abuse-statute statutory-interpretation | 1. Whether the failure of the Tenth Circuit to apply the rule of lenity to 18 U.S.C. § 2242(2)(A) resulted in an interpretation of ambiguous language … |
| 24A1266 | Kyle Syphax v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2025-06-23 | Presumed Complete | application-note circuit-split criminal-law rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether the rule of lenity requires courts to resolve inherent textual ambiguity when multiple circuits have reached conflicting interpretations of a … | |
| 24-6848 | Derek Steven Trumbull v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2025-03-25 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | agency-deference judicial-interpretation regulatory-ambiguity rule-of-lenity separation-of-powers statutory-construction | Do the separation of powers and the canons of statutory construction, most fundamentally the rule of lenity, permit the judiciary to defer to an agenc… |
| 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 | Whether judicial fact-finding of drug quantity for an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence violates the Sixth Amendment when the defendant and governme… |
| 24-6112 | Dekeilon Marquel Johnson v. United States | Sixth Circuit | 2024-12-10 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | career-offender circuit-split federal-sentencing predicate-offense rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines | Whether a career offender sentence should be determined based on predicate crimes at the time of sentencing or time of conviction given the current Ci… |
| 24-5263 | Pedro Rodriguez v. Officer Fisher | Ninth Circuit | 2024-08-07 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | aedpa federal-courts federal-review habeas-corpus ninth-circuit rule-of-lenity state-court timeliness timeliness-rules | Did the Ninth Circuit err in holding that the California Supreme Court's summary denial of a habeas petition as untimely is beyond review by federal c… |
| 24-5098 | Gerald Smith v. United States | District of Columbia | 2024-07-17 | Denied | Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3)IFP | actus-reus crime-of-violence criminal-law mens-rea rule-of-lenity sentencing statutory-interpretation | Whether 21 U.S.C. § 848(e)(1)(A) represents a qualifying 'crime of violence' under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), and how the rule of lenity should properly be a… |
| 24-5006 | Jason Steven Kokinda v. United States | Fourth Circuit | 2024-07-03 | GVR | IFP | 18-u.s.c-2250 34-u.s.c-20913 change-of-residence chevron-deference criminal-procedure jury-instructions rule-of-lenity sex-offender-registration smart-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether the district court erroneously instructed the jury regarding a crucial element of the criminal offense of failure to register as a sex offende… |
| 23-7721 | Darren M. Reese v. Jay Forshey, Warden | Sixth Circuit | 2024-06-14 | Denied | IFP | constitutional-law constitutional-violation criminal-procedure criminal-procedure'\n\n'May a State Court of Last due-process legal-interpretation rule-of-lenity state-court state-law statutory-interpretation | Is the Rule of Lenity a Constitutional Due Process guarantee that must be employed when a State Court construes ambiguous statutory language? |
| 23-6546 | Paul R. Hansmeier v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2024-01-23 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | appellate-review circuit-split constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-jurisdiction habeas-corpus rule-of-lenity sentencing statutory-interpretation supreme-court-jurisdiction | Whether an indictment that affirmatively alleges a course of conduct outside the scope of the charged offense can be the basis for a conviction |
| 23-6039 | Selbourne Waite v. United States | Second Circuit | 2023-11-17 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 18-usc-924 aiding-and-abetting crime-of-violence criminal-law hobbs-act rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation | Whether aiding and abetting a Hobbs Act robbery falls outside the definition of a 'crime of violence' |
| 23-6029 | Brianna Irene Bustam v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2023-11-16 | Denied | Relisted (2)IFP | criminal-history drug-offenses first-step-act rule-of-lenity safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or' for determining eligibility for the 'safety valve' provision |
| 23-5954 | Arthur Picklo v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2023-11-06 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 924(c) consecutive-sentences consecutive-sentencing criminal-procedure federal-criminal-law rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether the rule of lenity requires a sentencing court to impose a § 924(c) sentence consecutive to only the predicate crime of violence or drug offen… |
| 23-5782 | Tyrone Robinson, aka Tyrone R. Robinson v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2023-10-13 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | controlled-substance federal-law grievous-ambiguity rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines state-law statutory-interpretation | Whether the meaning of the term 'controlled substance' in the Sentencing Guidelines includes any substance prohibited by state law, or instead only th… |
| 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 | What is the proper definition of 'relating to the sexual exploitation of children' in 18 U.S.C. §2251(e)? |
| 23-5438 | Fox Joseph Salerno v. Ryan Thornell, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, et al. | Ninth Circuit | 2023-08-24 | Dismissed | Relisted (2)IFP | apprendi apprendi-rule blakely blakely-retroactivity certificate-of-appealability due-process jurisdiction retroactivity rule-of-finality rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-jurisdiction | Does Apprendi decision apply to Arizona Defendants |
| 23-5397 | Emanuel Beach v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2023-08-21 | Denied | Relisted (2)IFP | armed-career-criminal-act career-offender circuit-split drug-schedules federal-drug-schedules plain-error-doctrine rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation | Whether the federal drug schedules in effect at the time of the federal offense or the prior state offense should be used to define a 'serious drug of… |
| 23A120 | Edward Eugene Robinson v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2023-08-10 | Presumed Complete | 924(c) attempted-robbery categorical-approach crime-of-violence hobbs-act-robbery rule-of-lenity | Whether the categorical approach under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) permits courts to apply the case-specific approach to determine whether a defendant's convic… | |
| 22-1222 | Damien Guedes, et al. v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, et al. | District of Columbia | 2023-06-20 | GVR | Amici (1)Relisted (4) | 26-usc-5845 administrative-law atf-regulation bump-stock-prohibition bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives chevron-deference machinegun-definition rule-of-lenity statutory-construction | Whether the definition of 'machinegun' in 26 U.S.C. §5845(b) includes non-mechanical bump stocks |
| 22-7807 | Chayna Holguin v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2023-06-16 | Denied | Relisted (2)IFP | criminal-history federal-sentencing first-step-act rule-of-lenity safety-valve sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or' for determining eligibility for the 'safety valve' provision |
| 22-6443 | Daquan Madrid Pridgen v. United States | Fourth Circuit | 2023-01-04 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-guidelines sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation structural-error | Whether the district court committed structural error by finding that the sentence for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(e) should be 10 years to life i… |
| 22-6002 | Charles Morgan, Jr. v. United States | District of Columbia | 2022-11-07 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | ambiguity-standard criminal-statute criminal-statutes grievous-ambiguity gundy-v-united-states liberty-deprivation nondelegation nondelegation-doctrine rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent | Whether the rule of lenity should apply to all ambiguous criminal statutes or only to those that are 'grievously' ambiguous |
| 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 | Whether the 'and' in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) means 'and' or 'or' for determining eligibility for the federal sentencing 'safety valve |
| 22-339 | Pfizer Inc. v. Department of Health and Human Services, et al. | Second Circuit | 2022-10-12 | Denied | Amici (5) | advisory-opinion-process anti-kickback-statute criminal-intent healthcare-fraud medical-decision-making medicare mens-rea remuneration rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation | Whether the Anti-Kickback Statute is violated only if the person offering the remuneration intends to corrupt the recipient's medical decision-making |
| 22-5566 | Randly Irvin Begay v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2022-09-13 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | borden-precedent categorical-approach crime-of-violence extreme-recklessness federal-second-degree-murder ninth-circuit recklessness rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation targeted-use-of-force | Whether federal second-degree murder is a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3) |
| 21-8165 | Darryl Keith Rolle v. Florida | Florida | 2022-06-16 | Denied | IFP | 14th-amendment criminal-procedure due-process equal-protection rule-of-lenity sentencing | Whether Florida Statute section 775.021(1) concerning the rule of lenity is being unconstitutionally applied to defendants in violation of the due pro… |
| 21-1551 | Jamar E. Plunkett v. Dan Sproul | Seventh Circuit | 2022-06-10 | Denied | ambiguity contract-interpretation criminal-procedure defendant-rights due-process judicial-interpretation plea-agreement rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation | Whether a plea agreement that is subject to more than one reasonable interpretation must be interpreted in the defendant's favor | |
| 21-7569 | Miguel Scott Arnold v. United States | Third Circuit | 2022-04-07 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process federal-statute human-trafficking jury-instructions rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation third-circuit-court third-circuit-court-of-appeals unit-of-prosecution | allowable-unit-of-prosecution-for-18-usc-1591(a) |
| 21-1215 | Gun Owners of America, Inc., et al. v. Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, et al. | Sixth Circuit | 2022-03-08 | Denied | Amici (3)Relisted (2) | 2nd-amendment administrative-law agency-interpretation bump-stocks chevron-deference criminal-law criminal-statute firearms machinegun-definition rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation | Whether the definition of 'machinegun' found in 26 U.S.C. §5845(b) is clear and unambiguous, and whether bump stocks meet that definition? |
| 21-6278 | Joseph Fenelon Cooper v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2021-11-15 | GVR | Relisted (2)IFP | attempted-robbery bank-robbery categorical-approach clean-vehicle crime-of-violence federal-criminal-law rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation use-of-force | Whether an attempted bank robbery under 18 U.S.C. § 2113 falls outside the definition of a 'crime of violence' under 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c)(8)(A) |
| 21-6212 | Anthony De La Torriente v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2021-11-08 | Denied | IFP | circuit-split consent criminal-liability intoxication physical-incapability physical-incapacity rule-of-lenity sexual-abuse sexual-abuse-statute statutory-interpretation | Can evidence that a victim was intoxicated suffice to prove the 'physically incapable' element of sexual abuse, or does a conviction require evidence … |
| 21-6176 | Dwaine Collymore, aka Twin v. United States | Second Circuit | 2021-11-04 | GVR | Relisted (2)IFP | 18-usc-924(c)(8)(A) attempted-hobbs-act-robbery attempted-robbery crime-of-violence exceptional-importance federal-criminal-law hobbs-act rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation | Whether attempted Hobbs Act robbery falls outside the definition of a 'crime of violence' in 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(8)(A) |
| 21-159 | W. Clark Aposhian v. Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, et al. | Tenth Circuit | 2021-08-04 | Denied | Amici (7)Relisted (21) | administrative-law agency-interpretation agency-regulation chevron-deference constitutional-concerns criminal-law rule-of-lenity statutory-construction statutory-interpretation | Whether courts should defer under Chevron to an agency interpretation of federal law when the federal government affirmatively disavows Chevron defere… |
| 20-1681 | Shelton Barnes v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2021-06-04 | Denied | Response Waived | criminal-intent due-process fair-trial fifth-circuit medicare-billing obstruction obstruction-statute rule-of-lenity sufficiency-of-evidence | Does the Panel Decision conflict with its own authority and other circuit court decisions? |
| 20-8094 | Corey L. Johnson v. United States | Seventh Circuit | 2021-05-20 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | covered-offense criminal-law drug-conspiracy federal-sentencing first-step-act multi-object-conspiracy rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-retroactivity statutory-interpretation | Where there is ambiguity as to which penalty applies in a multi-object conspiracy that is a covered offense pursuant to the First Step Act of 2018, do… |
| 20-7778 | Gerald Scott v. United States | Second Circuit | 2021-04-15 | Denied | Amici (1)IFP | circuit-split criminal-law criminal-statute federal-sentencing physical-force physical-inaction rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation use-of-force | Does a crime of physical inaction, in which the inaction is deemed the cause of injury or death, have as an element the 'use of physical force against… |
| 20-7010 | Israel Santiago-Lugo v. United States | First Circuit | 2021-02-02 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | ambiguity amendment-782 criminal-procedure federal-rules forfeiture molina-martinez-v-us peugh-v-us rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines | Whether the sentence was imposed under U.S.S.G. §201.1(c) |
| 20-836 | Marcus Broadway v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2020-12-22 | Denied | Amici (1)Relisted (2) | agency-deference due-process judicial-interpretation kisor-v-wilkie rule-of-lenity sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines stinson-deference | Whether courts owe deference to the Sentencing Commission's commentary when it expands the scope of the Sentencing Guidelines |
| 20-6596 | Kevin S. Abney v. United States | Sixth Circuit | 2020-12-10 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | armed-career-criminal due-process legislative-history rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines statutory-construction statutory-interpretation | Whether the legislative history dealing with 18 USC § 924(e)(1) supports all the lower courts' rulings concerning offenses committed on different occa… |
| 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 |
| 20-551 | Jack Witt Voris v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2020-10-28 | Denied | 18-usc-111 assault assault-statute circuit-split criminal-law criminal-statute firearm-use multiple-offenses rule-of-lenity sentencing-interpretation statutory-interpretation | Whether firing multiple gunshots in a single assaultive act can be construed as multiple, distinct offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 111 | |
| 20-5648 | Damien Guidry v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2020-09-10 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | circuit-split criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing-guidelines imprisonment-aggregation probation-modification probation-revocation rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether the Federal Sentencing Guidelines permit the aggregation of a prior sentence of imprisonment with a subsequent probation modification imposed … |
| 20-5302 | Edwin Daniel Gongora-Baltan v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2020-08-07 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-interpretation criminal-law due-process extraterritorial-application judicial-construction rule-of-lenity sentencing-guidelines statutory-analysis statutory-interpretation | Whether a court must employ the presumption against extraterritorial application and the rule of lenity in interpreting a sentencing guideline enhance… |
| 19-8890 | Richard Antonio Hodge, Jr. v. United States | Third Circuit | 2020-07-02 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-law criminal-sentencing first-step-act resentencing retroactivity rule-of-lenity sentence-enhancement sentencing-provisions statutory-interpretation | Whether the ameliorative sentencing provisions of the First Step Act apply to defendants who were initially sentenced pre-First Step Act, but whose se… |
| 19-7776 | Mickel L. Marzouk v. United States | Fourth Circuit | 2020-02-25 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 924(c) crime-of-violence criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process elements-clause fair-sentencing-act fourth-circuit hobbs-act rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation | Whether Petitioner's sentence on the second § 924(c) conviction and twenty-five year sentence enhancement was incorrectly affirmed |
| 19-7732 | Jerad Hanks v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2020-02-21 | Denied | Response WaivedRelisted (4)IFP | bank-robbery circuit-court-conflict circuit-court-split constitutional-interpretation crime-of-violence criminal-law criminal-statute due-process elements-clause federal-bank-robbery federal-statutes firearm-use rule-of-lenity use-of-force vagueness-doctrine | Whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1) is unconstitutionally vague |
| 19-7520 | Edward Steven Feeney, Jr. v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2020-01-31 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | categorical-approach circuit-split criminal-law due-process eighth-circuit judicial-precedent lowest-level-conduct lowest-level-of-conduct rule-of-lenity state-law state-law-interpretation statutory-interpretation | Whether the Eighth Circuit properly considered the 'lowest level of conduct' as required under this Court's precedent for the categorical approach, an… |
| 19-7207 | Mohamed Elshinawy, aka Mojoe, aka Mo Jo v. United States | Fourth Circuit | 2020-01-08 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | aedpa due-process rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines separation-of-powers statutory-construction statutory-interpretation vcclea | Did the Court violate the Separation of Powers and Due Process when the enhancement § 3A1.4 was applied without examining Congress' explicit directive… |
| 19-6688 | Robert Joseph Fisher v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2019-11-20 | Denied | IFP | categorical-approach circuit-split eighth-amendment eighth-circuit fifth-circuit lowest-level-of-conduct rule-of-lenity state-law statutory-interpretation | Whether the Eighth Circuit properly considered the 'lowest level of conduct' as required under this Court's precedent for the categorical approach, an… |
| 19-6418 | Wayne Neville Morris v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2019-10-29 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | certificate-of-appealability constructive-amendment criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-error due-process fatal-variance fifth-amendment modified-categorical-approach rule-of-lenity sixth-amendment | Whether a conviction based on an erroneous legal theory can be sustained when the petitioner presents clear and convincing evidence that the accused, … |
| 19-6353 | Bekir Buluc, aka Celebi Buluc, aka Bekir Celibi v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2019-10-23 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-law criminal-penalties deportation due-process immigration immigration-law residual-clause rule-of-lenity statutory-construction statutory-interpretation | Whether the general, residual phrase 'takes any other action' in 8 U.S.C. § 1253(a)(1)(C) must be interpreted to embrace only actions like those in th… |
| 19-296 | Damien Guedes, et al. v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, et al. | District of Columbia | 2019-09-04 | Denied | Amici (7)Relisted (5) | administrative-law chevron-deference criminal-law deference due-process judicial-review overrule rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation waiver | Whether Chevron deference takes precedence over the rule of lenity |
| 19-5556 | Regina Lewis v. United States | Second Circuit | 2019-08-12 | Denied | Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP | civil-procedure criminal-procedure criminal-prosecution due-process federal-jurisdiction federal-magistrate federal-state-balance procedural-violation rule-of-lenity standing statutory-interpretation title-18-usc-115 | Did United States Magistrate Gabriel Gorenstein violate the Fed. R. Civ. P. Rule 4 (b) |
| 18A1352 | Damien Guedes, et al. v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, et al. | District of Columbia | 2019-06-21 | Presumed Complete | administrative-procedure-act chevron-deference criminal-enforcement machinegun-definition rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation | Whether Chevron deference applies to agency interpretations of criminal statutes that also have administrative applications when the statutory languag… | |
| 18A1336 | Robert Rang v. United States | First Circuit | 2019-06-19 | Presumed Complete | circuit-split criminal-law physical-contact rule-of-lenity sexual-activity statutory-interpretation | Whether the definition of 'sexual activity' in a criminal statute requires physical interpersonal contact or can include non-contact conduct | |
| 18-1511 | Ajay S. Ahuja v. United States | Second Circuit | 2019-06-04 | Denied | Response Waived | administrative-law article-iii-standing civil-penalties controlled-substances-act opioid-epidemic record-keeping-requirements rule-of-lenity standing statutory-construction statutory-interpretation | Does 21 U.S.C. § 842(c)(1)(B)(i) permit cumulative fines for technical violations of 21 U.S.C. § 842(a)(5)? |
| 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 |
| 18-7557 | Terveus Hyppolite v. United States | Fourth Circuit | 2019-01-24 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 18-usc-3582 career-offender constitutional-challenge criminal-sentencing due-process rule-of-lenity sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation | Whether Title 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) is unconstitutional |
| 18-6831 | David Errol Willock v. William Sperfslage, Warden | Eighth Circuit | 2018-11-26 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 28-usc-2254 certificate-of-appealability direct-appeal habeas-corpus postconviction-relief remand rule-of-lenity statute-of-limitations | Whether the correct calculation of the statute of limitations in a habeas corpus action under 28 USC 2254 where the petitioner has filed for state pos… |
| 18-6677 | Clarence Darnell Marshall v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2018-11-13 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 5th-amendment appeal booker-standard career-offender certificate-of-appealability due-process eleventh-circuit rule-of-lenity sentencing sentencing-guidelines vagueness | Whether the Eleventh Circuit applied a heightened standard to the Defendant's request for Certificate of Appealability |
| 18-6397 | Angel Rosario v. United States | Second Circuit | 2018-10-23 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | actual-innocence advisory-guidelines amendment-709 career-offender due-process ineffective-assistance johnson-rule rule-of-lenity sentencing-enhancement void-for-vagueness | Were the Appellant's right to Due Process of Law violated |
| 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) |
| 18-5194 | Teofil Brank v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2018-07-10 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 18-usc-875d criminal-law extortion hobbs-act reputation reputational-harm rule-of-lenity scheidler-v-now statutory-interpretation | Whether threats to reputational harm fall within the ambit of the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951 |
| 18-5043 | Guy St. Amour v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2018-06-29 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | administrative-interpretation administrative-law aviation-law criminal-statute due-process faa-regulation fair-notice over-criminalization rule-of-lenity statutory-interpretation | Whether the Eleventh Circuit's novel interpretation of an FAA regulation in a criminal statute, to encompass conduct never before penalized by the FAA… |