sentencing-discretion

134 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-6796 Carlos Martinez v. California California 2026-02-12 Pending IFP california-law constitutional-rights criminal-law judicial-interpretation resentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the California Supreme Court's interpretation of state sentencing law improperly restricts judicial discretion in resentencing proceedings for…
25-6324 Craig Edward Hunnicutt, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-12-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure factual-findings self-defense sentencing-discretion sixth-circuit supervised-release Whether the Sixth Circuit improperly affirmed a supervised release violation and new law convictions based on clearly erroneous factual findings relat…
25-200 Kevin Salvador Golphin v. North Carolina North Carolina 2025-08-19 Denied Response Waived constitutional-law criminal-procedure eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole sentencing-discretion Whether North Carolina has violated the Eighth Amendment by creating a de facto mandatory life-without-parole sentencing regime for juvenile offenders…
25-5341 Kenneth Jeremy Laird v. Ryan Thornell, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, et al. Ninth Circuit 2025-08-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing sentencing-discretion supreme-court-precedent Does the revised sentence violate the Eighth Amendment?
25-5003 Eric Richard Garza v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-07-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-conviction de-novo-resentencing fifth-circuit-interpretation mandate-rule sentencing-discretion Did the Fifth Circuit misapply its restrictive interpretation of the mandate rule which does not permit de novo resentencing, but limits to resentenci…
24-1255 Malcom Anwar Williams v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-06-09 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) 18-usc-3582 compassionate-release criminal-history rehabilitation-evidence sentence-reduction sentencing-discretion Whether a district court errs when it denies a motion for reduction of sentence or compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) on the ground…
24-6652 David R. Kitchen v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-02-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure fourth-circuit home-detention judicial-review sentencing-discretion supervised-release Whether the Fourth Circuit erred by affirming the District Court's discretion in sentencing Mr. Kitchen to six (6) months of home detention for a supe…
24-6536 Craig Bassett v. Florida Florida 2025-02-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process habeas-corpus jury-instructions sentencing-discretion separation-of-powers sixth-amendment Whether the Florida Supreme Court's jury instructions and sentencing practices violate the Sixth Amendment and due process rights, and can such consti…
24-5934 Richard Balter v. United States Third Circuit 2024-11-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP compassionate-release constitutional-review judicial-discretion pre-booker-sentencing sentencing-discretion united-states-sentencing-commission Whether a District Court has the Discretion to Decline to Follow the United States Sentencing Commission's Policy Statement and Whether It is Constitu…
24-5891 Kimberly Cannon v. Florida Florida 2024-11-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process fundamental-error judicial-discretion probation-violation sentencing-discretion Whether a trial court commits fundamental error by considering a subsequent offense without arrest or conviction when sentencing a probation violation…
24A345 Ronald Robinson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-10-11 Presumed Complete 18-usc-3553a criminal-history eighth-circuit mitigating-factors sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Whether a district court may impose an unusually harsh sentence without meaningfully considering a defendant's mitigating factors of childhood trauma,…
24-391 Felipe Petrone-Cabanas v. Arizona Arizona 2024-10-08 Denied Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) criminal-procedure jones-v-mississippi juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama sentencing-discretion Whether juveniles may be sentenced to life without parole under a system that did not afford the sentencing court discretion to choose any lesser opti…
24-5630 Ernie Sacoman v. David Cole, Warden Tenth Circuit 2024-09-25 Denied Relisted (2)IFP correctional-facility criminal-procedure good-time-credits habeas-corpus parole-modification sentencing-discretion Can a Court of Correctional Facility change petitioner's parole from 31-21-10 to 15 years when petitioner was originally sentenced to 30 years with tw…
24-5456 Robert Paul Durrell v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-09-04 GVR Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split criminal-procedure sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors statutory-interpretation supervised-release Whether a district court may rely on 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(A) factors when revoking supervised release despite their omission from 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e…
24-5401 Whitney Leigh Estep v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-08-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure fifth-amendment fourth-circuit sentencing-discretion witness-testimony Whether the Fourth Circuit erred in denying Ms. Estep's arguments regarding a witness's Fifth Amendment objection and the district court's sentencing …
24-5248 Jason Wade Grant v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-08-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process individualized-sentencing mitigating-factors sentencing-discretion Whether a sentencing court's failure to consider mitigating factors and individual circumstances violates a defendant's constitutional rights to indiv…
24-55 Montana v. Robert Murray Gibbons Montana 2024-07-18 Denied eighth-amendment excessive-fines-clause financial-burden financial-circumstances mandatory-fine mandatory-fines proportionality proportionality-factors sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the Excessive Fines Clause requires the sentencing judge to consider a defendant's personal financial circumstances and the nature of the burd…
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
23-7639 Louis C. Bouie v. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Pennsylvania 2024-06-05 Denied Relisted (2)IFP drug-treatment-program due-process ex-post-facto executive-branch judicial-review sentencing-discretion separation-of-powers stare-decisis statutory-construction Did the Pennsylvania High Court unconstitutionally permit the statutory construct at 61 Pa.C.S.A. § 4105 to grant the executive branch carte blanche s…
23-7565 Juan Aguiera-Guzman v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-05-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure due-process federal-sentencing judicial-reasoning mitigation-arguments plain-error sentencing sentencing-discretion silent-record Whether the holding in Molina-Martinez applies to sentencing-errors, such as the clear Rule 32 violation here
23-7328 Leslie Hood v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-04-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-rights cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment employment probation-requirements sentencing sentencing-discretion supervision supervision-conditions Was the district court's imposition of supervision conditions requiring Mr. Hood to obtain some form of work/employment violated the Eighth Amendment …
23-7133 Garry Hines v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-04-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility appellate-review criminal-appeal criminal-sentencing due-process fourth-circuit sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines statutory-maximum Whether the Fourth Circuit erred when determining that Petitioner's Sentence which exceeded the statutory maximum was proper and reasonable
23-6722 Jeffrey Holland v. United States Third Circuit 2024-02-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP crack-cocaine criminal-sentencing due-process fair-trial first-step-act jury-trial sentence-enhancement sentencing-discretion sentencing-enhancements trial-transcript Whether a district court can refuse to review intervening changes in facts that contradict and undermine presentence report findings used to apply a s…
23-6707 Sean Robert Wathen v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-02-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure dangerous-weapon district-court drug-offense enhancement factual-findings findings-of-fact sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines u.s.s.g-2d1.1(b)(1) weapon-enhancement Is the sentencing court required to make specific findings of fact, supported by the record, that a defendant possessed a dangerous weapon in connecti…
23-830 Lonnie Allen Bassett v. Arizona Arizona 2024-02-02 Denied Amici (3)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (5) criminal-procedure eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole mandatory-sentencing miller-v-alabama montgomery-v-louisiana sentencing-discretion Whether the Eighth Amendment permits a juvenile to be sentenced to life without parole under a system that did not afford the sentencing court discret…
23-6632 Jasen Randhawa v. Wisconsin Wisconsin 2024-01-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional constitutional-rights criminal-procedure deterrence due-process general-deterrence sentencing sentencing-discretion social-science social-science-evidence Does a court violate a defendant's right to due process when a lengthy sentence is based upon mistaken information that a severe sentence will deter o…
23-6600 Richard Daniel v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-01-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split covered-offense discretionary-sentencing fair-sentencing-act first-step-act sentencing-discretion sentencing-package-doctrine sentencing-reduction Whether a district court can impose a reduced sentence for both covered and non-covered offenses under the First Step Act
23-6592 Bernardito Carvajal, aka Christian Mendez-Acevedo v. United States First Circuit 2024-01-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP acquittal constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process judicial-review jury-verdict sentencing sentencing-discretion unreasonable-sentence Whether a sentencing judge may disregard a jury's acquittal and use rejected facts to justify a dramatic increase in the defendant's sentence
23-6454 Darwin Dwayne Hutchins v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-01-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender cocaine-definition controlled-substance federal-vs-state-law non-violent-drug-crimes sentence-length sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines state-federal-definition Did the district court err in counting Hutchins's Ohio cocaine conviction as a controlled substance offense for career offender under the Sentencing G…
23-6418 Harvey Holland v. United States Third Circuit 2024-01-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process fair-sentencing-act first-step-act jury-trial murder-cross-reference sentencing-discretion Whether the district court ruled directly contrary to the Court's direction in Concepcion by finding that Petitioner was eligible for relief but refus…
23-6403 Tony L. Ford v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-01-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP concepcion-precedent concepcion-v-united-states criminal-resentencing eleventh-circuit eleventh-circuit-interpretation fair-sentencing-act first-step-act intervening-law-changes sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-penalty Whether the Eleventh Circuit's limitation on First Step relief contravenes Concepcion's holding, that in deciding whether to reduce the sentence of an…
23A475 Lonnie Allen Bassett v. Arizona Arizona 2023-11-28 Presumed Complete eighth-amendment juvenile-offender life-without-parole miller-retroactivity post-conviction-relief sentencing-discretion Whether the Eighth Amendment requires resentencing or individualized review for juvenile offenders sentenced to mandatory life without the possibility…
23-5222 Mustafa Ali v. Jeffrey Minehart, Judge, et al. Pennsylvania 2023-07-27 Denied IFP abuse-of-discretion constitutional-provisions due-process habeas-corpus pcra-petition post-conviction-relief sentencing-discretion state-court-procedure statutory-interpretation statutory-maximum void-for-vagueness Whether the PCRA Court abused its discretion in failing to convert Petitioner's State Habeas Petition into a PCRA Petition?
22-7802 James B. Norris, Jr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-16 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure due-process internet-access judicial-explanation pro-se-motion revocation-hearing sentencing sentencing-discretion supervised-release Whether the district court erred in revoking Petitioner's supervised release based solely on his admission to accessing the internet without permissio…
22-7783 Pinkney Clowers, III v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-14 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP apprendi circuit-split concepcion-v-united-states criminal-enterprise drug-quantity fair-sentencing-act first-step-act sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation terry-v-united-states Whether the Eleventh Circuit's limitation on First Step Act relief contravenes Terry's element-based determination of eligibility and Concepcion's hol…
22-7769 Tyrone Desante Morant v. Bill Stange, Warden Missouri 2023-06-13 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (3)IFP 14th-amendment 6th-amendment 8th-amendment consecutive-sentences constitutional-rights eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing mandatory-life-sentence miller-v-alabama sentencing-discretion Mandatory-life-without-parole-for-juvenile-offenders
22-7735 Vivian R. Woodstock v. Florida Florida 2023-06-08 Denied IFP constitutional-violation due-process equal-protection resentencing restitution sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether a court may impose a harsher sentence upon resentencing after it was determined the initial sentence violated equal-protection
22-7451 Bennie C. Rivera v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-05-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-justice criminal-procedure fair-sentence-act first-step-act judicial-discretion judicial-review motion-denial sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation Did Judge John Anton II abuse his discretion in denying the petitioner's motion under the First Step Act and Fair Sentence Act without a hearing?
22-7121 Christopher Barret v. United States Second Circuit 2023-03-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2255 criminal-procedure de-novo-resentencing de-novo-review direct-appeal resentencing sentencing sentencing-discretion vacatur Whether district courts must conduct full de novo resentencing following vacatur of one or more counts
22-783 Victor J. Orena v. United States Second Circuit 2023-02-17 Denied Response Waived 18-usc-3553 18-usc-3582 concepcion-v-united-states district-court-authority extraordinary-and-compelling-circumstances extraordinary-circumstances first-step-act sentence-reduction sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation Whether district courts have authority to consider intervening changes in facts in First Step Act motions
22-6704 Angel Vazquez-Figueroa v. United States First Circuit 2023-02-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure individualized-assessment judicial-discretion plain-error plain-error-review plea-agreement section-3553a-factors sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the district court erred in imposing a sentence that was 1.5 years longer than the highest sentence recommended by the parties under the plea …
22-6564 Sohiel Omar Kabir v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-01-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split co-conspirator control-over-co-participants criminal-enhancement leader-organizer-enhancement leader-role ninth-circuit second-fourth-sixth-eleventh-dc-circuits sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Does the aggravating role enhancement for 'leader[s]' or 'organizer[s]' of concerted criminal activity in section 3B1.1(c) of the United States Senten…
22-6545 Kamil Hakeem Johnson v. R. M. Wolfe, Warden Fourth Circuit 2023-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process habeas-corpus jurisdiction jurisdictional-challenge sentencing-discretion sentencing-options statutory-interpretation Whether the district court had jurisdiction to impose a term-of-years sentence when the statute only provided for death or life imprisonment without p…
22-6431 Philip Johnson v. Illinois Illinois 2022-12-30 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-rights eighth-amendment guilty-plea juvenile-justice juvenile-sentencing miller-factors miller-v-alabama plea-bargaining proportionate-penalties sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether a pre-Miller guilty plea bars a post-Miller sentencing challenge under the Eighth Amendment
22-6214 Timothy Robert Gallion v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-12-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court due-process fourth-circuit sentence-credit sentencing-credit sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines supervised-release Whether the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals erred by dismissing Mr. Gallion's meritorious argument that the district court committed reversible error …
22-6027 Cedric Joseph Rue, Jr. v. Ryan Thornell, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry Ninth Circuit 2022-11-08 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-procedure eighth-amendment eighth-amendment-interpretation juvenile-offender juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole mandatory-sentencing parole-abolition sentencing-discretion Whether the abolition of parole in Arizona creates a mandatory life-without-parole sentence that violates the Eighth Amendment when imposed on a juven…
22-5962 Marquis Donte Brown v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-11-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-review post-booker-hearing safety-valve sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the district court erred by imposing an unlawful sentence contrary to the mandates of § 3553(a) and §3553(f)(5) which preclude use of informat…
22-5936 Demetrius Troy Bradley v. Michigan Michigan 2022-10-31 Denied IFP acquitted-conduct constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process fourteenth-amendment jury-trial jury-trial-rights sentencing sentencing-discretion sixth-amendment Do the jury-trial and due process guarantees of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit judges from considering, at sentencing in a criminal case…
22-5673 Juan Amaya Lozano v. Fredrick Entzel, Warden Eighth Circuit 2022-09-26 Denied IFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel interpreter-rights limited-english-proficiency sentencing sentencing-discretion sixth-amendment Whether the District Court abused its discretion in failing to provide a Spanish interpreter during critical stages of the defendant's defense
22-5354 Ricardo L. Noble v. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2022-08-18 Denied IFP civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process evidence juvenile-justice juvenile-sentencing miller-rule rehabilitation sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the juvenile life-without-parole sentence is unconstitutional, whether the court abused discretion in sentencing, whether the court relied on …
22-5348 Clarence Lee v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-08-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion civil-procedure criminal-procedure due-process judicial-bias judicial-recusal motion-hearing prosecutorial-agreement recusal sentencing sentencing-discretion standing Whether the district court erred by denying defense counsel's oral motion for recusal of the district judge
22-5253 Dennis Charles Helmer v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-08-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 circuit-split compassionate-release covid-19 criminal-justice-reform first-step-act medical-care sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Whether the District Court erred in denying relief to Petitioner's 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(1)(A)(i) motion based on the applicability of 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2…
22-5203 Travis Wade Amaral v. David Shinn, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, et al. Ninth Circuit 2022-07-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-prohibition due-process juvenile-offenders juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole mandatory-sentences miller-v-alabama sentencing-discretion term-of-years-sentences Does the constitutional prohibition against mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders in Miller v. Alabama apply to mandatory term-of-years sent…
22-49 Efrain Lora v. United States Second Circuit 2022-07-19 Judgment Issued Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) circuit-split concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-law criminal-procedure federal-criminal-law mandatory-minimums sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(D)(ii) applies to sentences imposed under 18 U.S.C. § 924(j)
21-8233 Barkley Gardner v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-06-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-USC-1959 criminal-law criminal-sentencing due-process federal-criminal-law punishment-alternatives racketeering sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation violent-crime Whether a court may punish a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a) by a fine instead of death or life imprisonment
21-8133 Gary L. Boyle v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-06-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-precedent course-of-conduct criminal-acts criminal-sentencing discretionary-sentencing federal-guidelines guidelines judicial-interpretation same-course-of-conduct sentencing-discretion separate-course-of-conduct united-states-v-booker What constitutes a 'separate course of conduct' in the discretionary sentencing context?
21-1464 Emond S. Gulley v. Kansas Kansas 2022-05-19 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) constitutional-law criminal-procedure eighth-amendment juvenile-offenders juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama sentencing-discretion term-of-years-sentence whether-mandatory-term-of-years-sentence-equivalent-to-life-without-parole-for-juvenile-offenders
21-7435 Ronell Williams v. Kansas Kansas 2022-03-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment constitutional-interpretation discretionary-sentencing jones-v-mississippi juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama sentencing-discretion youth-characteristics Does this Court's decision in Jones v. Mississippi mandate that states must strictly apply that any discretion in sentencing a juvenile to life withou…
21-6566 Steven Craig Bethea v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-12-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion constitutional-review criminal-sentencing discretion eighth-amendment judicial-abuse sentencing sentencing-discretion substantive-reasonableness upward-variance Whether the district court erred in sentencing the appellant to a greater sentence than necessary
21-6473 Michael Stumph v. Ohio Ohio 2021-12-02 Denied Amici (1)Response WaivedIFP Appellate-Review Cruel-and-Unusual-Punishment Due-Process eighth-amendment Equal-Protection fourteenth-amendment Procedural-Due-Process sentencing-discretion Whether Ohio Revised Code § 2953.08(D)(3) violates the Eighth-Amendment
21-6335 Chi Mak v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-11-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 abuse-of-discretion compassionate-release criminal-procedure judicial-review sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors statutory-factors statutory-interpretation Whether the district court abused its discretion and acted unreasonably in denying Mak's motion for compassionate release
21-6279 Jquan Leearthur McInnis v. Minnesota Minnesota 2021-11-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama roper-v-simmons sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether sentencing a juvenile to two consecutive homicide sentences of life-with-the after thirty years, the functional equivalent of a natural life s…
21-5782 Cenobio Humberto Herrera, Sr., aka Bert Herrera, aka Cenobio Herrera Lanz, aka Cenobio Humberto Lanz v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-09-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure custodial-status district-court methamphetamine methamphetamine-production ninth-circuit pseudoephedrine section-3553a sentencing sentencing-discretion Did the Ninth Circuit err in failing to vacate the district court's order based on clearly erroneous facts?
21-5391 Jermontae Moss v. Georgia Georgia 2021-08-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment criminal-procedure cruel-and-unusual-punishment family-violence felony-murder juvenile-justice juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama mitigating-factors sentencing sentencing-discretion Does a court violate Miller when it refuses to consider childhood trauma as mitigating when sentencing a child to life without parole?
21-5407 Robin Rick Manning v. Michigan Michigan 2021-08-17 Denied IFP civil-rights cruel-and-unusual-punishment cruel-unusual-punishment due-process first-amendment habeas-corpus juvenile-justice miller-v-alabama proportionality-review roper-v-simmons sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the Michigan Supreme Court's decision to not extend the principle of Miller v. Alabama to 18-20 year olds conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court pr…
21-5063 Sammy Cano v. Illinois Illinois 2021-07-09 Denied IFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure criminal-seizure due-process evidence ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ineffective-counsel reasonable-doubt sentencing sentencing-discretion witness-credibility witness-testimony Whether the State failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
20-8453 Devonte Jaishun Tucker v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-06-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-discretion mitigation preservation preservation-of-error sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether a defendant must object to sentencing court's failure to consider a nonfrivolous mitigation argument in order to preserve the issue for appeal
20-8347 Terron McAllister v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-06-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-resentencing discretion first-step-act guidelines guidelines-range judicial-discretion resentencing sentence-reduction sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether a District Court abuses its discretion in denying a sentence reduction under the First Step Act
20-8273 Roger G. Babcock v. Florida Florida 2021-06-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure due-process ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-discretion mandatory-sentencing sentencing sentencing-discretion state-law statutory-interpretation Whether the defendant was arbitrarily deprived of his interest in the exercise of judicial discretion in sentencing by the misapplication of a state c…
20-1614 John D. Leontaritis v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-05-19 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) circuit-split criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process fact-determination jury-finding jury-instructions reasonable-doubt sentencing sentencing-discretion standard-of-proof Whether jury findings impact sentencing
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 be extended to 18-year-olds?
20-7718 Deidre Antoinette Pierre v. Louisiana Louisiana 2021-04-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP adolescent-brain-science constitutional-rights cruel-punishment eighth-amendment life-without-parole miller-mandate rs-15-574-4-d sentencing-discretion Whether the Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive or cruel punishment
20-1315 Louisiana v. Aaron G. Hauser Louisiana 2021-03-23 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) irreparable-corruption juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama montgomery-miller-standard montgomery-v-louisiana rehabilitation rehabilitation-evidence sentencing-discretion Does a sentencing court run afoul of Montgomery and Miller by weighing the heinous facts of a juvenile's violent crime more heavily than any subsequen…
20-7421 Jefferson Levine v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(a) circuit-conflict criminal-resentencing first-step-act judicial-discretion post-sentencing-conduct section-404(b) sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether consideration of § 3553(a) factors is mandatory under First-Step-Act-Section-404(b)
20-7216 Antwan Seawood v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-02-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing dismissed-charges fifth-amendment sentencing sentencing-discretion sixth-amendment Did the District Court abuse its discretion and violate Appellant's Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights by sentencing him to a term of 240 months based u…
20-7160 Emmett Garrison, IV v. Louisiana Louisiana 2021-02-16 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment juvenile-offenders juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole presumption sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the Eighth Amendment forbids a sentencing court from applying a presumption in favor of life without parole for a juvenile offender
20-6982 Misty R. Weed v. Florida Florida 2021-01-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP conflict-of-laws constitutional-rights district-court-conflict due-process equal-protection ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel manifest-injustice plea-withdrawal sentencing sentencing-discretion Did the first district court of appeal create a manifest injustice by ruling in conflict with other district courts on the same legal question, violat…
20-6902 Layw Thomas v. Kentucky Kentucky 2021-01-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP disproportionate-sentencing eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment hammer-clause juvenile-sentencing miller-v-alabama plea-agreement plea-bargaining sentencing-discretion Did Kentucky violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments when it allowed a youth who was 17 when his crimes occurred to be sentenced to life in priso…
20-6513 Calvin Teko Coston v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-12-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-challenge due-process fifth-amendment jury-trial mandatory-imprisonment revocation sentencing-discretion sixth-amendment supervised-release united-states-v-haymond Whether 18 U.S.C. § 3583(g) violates the Fifth and Sixth Amendments
20-6483 Adrien John Matuck v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-12-01 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-rights constitutional-proportionality criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance-of-counsel juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole sentencing-discretion speedy-trial statute-of-limitations Did District Court violate Matuck's Due Process right when it held a trial over seven years after his arrest?
20-6409 Hugo Humberto Perez Rangel v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-11-24 Denied IFP advisory-opinions appellate-review criminal-procedure federal-sentencing guideline-error harmless-error incentive-to-object judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Whether Guideline error is necessarily harmless if the district court is presented with the Guideline range later vindicated on appeal and disclaims a…
20-6303 Lamar Whatley v. Illinois Illinois 2020-11-13 Denied IFP aggravating-factors constitutional-challenge de-novo eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance judicial-discretion mitigating-factors sentencing sentencing-discretion separation-of-powers sixth-amendment Whether the separation of powers clause allows the legislature to limit the scope of judicial discretion in sentencing by deeming certain aggravating …
20-6316 Mickey Pubien v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-11-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-justice-reform criminal-resentencing discretion first-step-act penalty-reduction sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation What the district court may appropriately consider when imposing a reduced sentence pursuant to § 404 of the First Step Act of 2018 remains an unsettl…
20-423 LaQuanda Gilmore Garrott v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-10-02 Denied charge-bargain judicial-review maximum-sentence plea-agreement prosecutorial-discretion sentencing sentencing-discretion separation-of-powers Whether a district judge violates the separation-of-powers by rejecting a plea-agreement containing a charge-bargain based solely on the judge's view …
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…
19-8868 Rodrecas Tims v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-06-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing judicial-discretion prison-sentence reasonableness-review sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sentencing-range sentencing-reasonableness Whether the district court ordered an unreasonable 108-month prison sentence under the facts of this case, and under the recommended Sentencing Guidel…
19-8474 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 Does a district court's inability to depart below a mandatory minimum under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e), for any factor other than defendant's substantial ass…
19-7918 Patrick Harris v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553a child-pornography criminal-sentencing district-court enhancement-factors excessive-sentence sentencing-discretion sentencing-enhancements sentencing-guidelines statutory-considerations Did the district court err in applying sentencing enhancements under U.S.S.G. §2G2.2(b)(2), (b)(3), (b)(4), (b)(6) and (b)(7)(D) to Mr. Harris' case?
19-7839 Christopher Sanchez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-03-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure deterrence due-process imprisonment plain-error-review policy-statement policy-statement-range sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines Is a single-sentence explanation of 'I believe this addresses the issues of adequate deterrence and protection of the public' procedurally reasonable …
19-7759 Lyarron T. Emers v. Illinois Illinois 2020-02-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP 5th-amendment aggravating-factor constitutional-rights due-process fifth-amendment pre-sentence-investigation right-to-remain-silent right-to-silence sentencing sentencing-discretion Question not identified
19-7720 Lamont Jones v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-02-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-circuit-court abuse-of-discretion co-conspirator-hearsay co-conspirator-hearsay-exception criminal-association criminal-history district-court-conviction hearsay-exception mental-health racketeering-conspiracy racketeering-conspiracy-18-usc-1962(d) sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-mental-health-treatment sufficient-evidence uncorroborated-confession Did the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals abuse its discretion in upholding the District Court's conviction?
19-7688 Ricardo Noble v. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2020-02-18 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (2)IFP civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process ineffective-assistance-of-counsel juvenile-justice juvenile-transfer miller-standard miller-v-alabama rehabilitation rehabilitation-needs sentencing sentencing-discretion transfer Whether the issues and evidence related to a juvenile offender's decertification (transfer) decision are relevant to the juvenile offender's resentenc…
19-7698 Martin Calderon-Ortalejo v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-02-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility criminal-procedure extensive-scope extensive-scope-planning fifth-circuit-review judicial-abuse-of-discretion offense-level-enhancement plea-agreement sentencing-discretion substantial-interference substantial-interference-with-justice total-offense-level Did the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division, abuse its discretion in sentencing?
19-7338 David P. Moran v. Florida Florida 2020-01-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences consecutive-sentences criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process judicial-interpretation prosecutorial-charging same-conduct same-victim sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Should two charges for the same episode of conduct and the same victim with no temporal break whatsoever be sentenced to consecutive prison terms even…
19-7293 Desmond Bowen v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-01-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(a) appellate-review booker-v-united-states federal-sentencing gall-v-united-states judicial-standard sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-review statutory-interpretation substantive-reasonableness What standard should appellate courts use to review claims of substantively unreasonable sentences under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)?
19-7107 Joseph Thor Perkins v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-12-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553a 3553(a)-factors abuse-of-discretion booker-v-united-states criminal-sentencing downward-variance federal-sentencing-procedure gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether a sentencing court can abuse its discretion by not varying downward further
19-6938 Gabriel Garcia-Solar v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-12-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP congress-power congressional-power constitutional-interpretation extraterritorial-jurisdiction felonies-clause felony-definition foreign-nationals high-seas maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act nexus-requirement nexus-to-us sentencing-discretion Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act exceeds Congress' power under the Felonies Clause
19-720 United States v. Riley Briones, Jr. Ninth Circuit 2019-12-06 GVR Relisted (2) constitutional-law criminal-procedure discretionary-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment juvenile-offenders juvenile-sentencing life-imprisonment life-without-parole parole sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether Miller v. Alabama entitles respondent to invalidation of a discretionary life-without-parole sentence
19-6856 James W. Riley v. Delaware Delaware 2019-12-05 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP capital-punishment conflict-of-interest constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process evidentiary-considerations fair-trial ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-misconduct judicial-review right-to-counsel right-to-fair-trial sentencing sentencing-discretion Should Abns courct extend Ts Hucsh wv. Florida cubug
19-6205 Ruben Navarrete-Felix v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-10-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process judicial-policy recidivism sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors Is it an abuse of discretion to sentence a recidivist pursuant to a blanket policy of always imposing a longer sentence than the defendant previously …
19-5730 Lawrence Michael Lynde v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-08-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography civil-rights constitutional-law criminal-history criminal-procedure due-process federal-courts federal-sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sex-offender-treatment sixth-circuit-appeal standing statutory-interpretation victim-restitution Whether the Sixth Circuit erred in holding that the petitioner lacks standing to challenge the constitutionality of the statute at issue
19-5641 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 the Eleventh Circuit erroneously dismissed portions of the appeal based on an invalid plea agreement waiver
19-5472 Martin Avalos-Rico, aka Rolando Blanco-Garcia, aka Oscar Cruz-Tulum, aka Alejandro Tamayo v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-08-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split deportable-offender due-process geographic-disparity immigration immigration-sentencing reentry-offense sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reform-act supervised-release Whether a district court that imposes supervised release on a deportable offender must specifically tie it to a need for deterrence or protection
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
18-9063 Tyrone Leonard James v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-05-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 18-usc-3584 18-usc-924c 18-usc-924c3b certificate-of-appealability concurrent-sentences concurrent-sentences,federal-sentencing,state-sent Does the Supreme Court's grant of writ of certiora federal-criminal-procedure federal-sentencing judicial-consideration sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors state-sentencing statutory-interpretation supreme-court-rule-10 third-circuit unrelated-crimes vagueness Whether a district court's finding that a state crime and federal crime were unrelated is sufficient, in itself, to satisfy its obligation under 18 U.…
18-9079 Steven Dedual, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-05-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP alternate-sentences appellate-review district-court guideline-range harmless-error judicial-discretion sentencing-discretion sentencing-enhancement sentencing-procedure unsupported-alternate-sentences unsupported-claims Can a district court that has erroneously applied a sentencing enhancement shield itself from appellate review by claiming, without providing specific…
18-9010 Joel Augutuk Mayokok v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-04-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review criminal-procedure due-process judicial-error re-sentencing sentence-reasonableness sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness unsupported-enhancement Did the District Court's decision at re-sentencing to re-impose the same 240-month sentence it initially imposed, where the Court had erred in its ini…
18-8796 Larry Junior Copeland, aka La-La v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-04-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability evidentiary-hearing fair-sentencing-act first-step-act habeas-corpus procedural-default retroactivity sentencing-discretion Should the Court of Appeals have granted a certificate of appealability on whether district court abused its discretion?
18-8759 Cuauhtemoc Juarez-Aquino v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-04-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review circuit-split criminal-sentencing discretion district-court-authority due-process judicial-discretion majority-circuits ninth-circuit sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors Whether a federal district court is permitted boundless discretion to weigh established factors at sentencing
18A1002 Joseph Carter v. Florida Florida 2019-04-01 Presumed Complete cruel-and-unusual eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing miller-v-alabama proportionality sentencing-discretion Whether the Eighth Amendment prohibits a lengthy juvenile sentence that effectively constitutes a de facto life sentence without the individualized se…
18-8490 Bernard Mitchell v. California California 2019-03-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-street-gangs discretion due-process evidence gang-evidence ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-exposure jury-instructions jury-prejudice prejudice prosecutorial-misconduct sentencing sentencing-discretion standard-of-review Did the court abuse its discretion in permitting the jury to be exposed to the nicknames 'Crip' and ''Scrap,' which have been taken as a suggestion th…
18-8468 Alfredo Mendez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-03-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review circuit-split criminal-procedure discretion district-court-authority due-process federal-courts judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors Whether a federal district court is permitted boundless discretion at sentencing to weigh established factors at sentencing
18-8395 Janet Sonja Schonewolf v. United States Third Circuit 2019-03-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3582 circuit-split criminal-sentencing prison-sentence prison-term rehabilitation sentencing-discretion sentencing-reform-act statutory-interpretation tapia-v-united-states Whether § 3582(a) prohibits sentencing courts from taking rehabilitation into consideration at all in selecting a prison sentence, or whether it merel…
18-8314 Jose Nino-Carreon v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-03-06 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appellate-review criminal-procedure district-court district-court-discretion guidelines plain-error sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines substantial-rights Whether a court of appeals that finds a plain Guideline error should ordinarily find an effect on the defendant's substantial rights if the district c…
18-8210 Mahogany Taquilla Alexander v. Mark S. Inch, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2019-03-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP 14th-amendment 5th-amendment amendment-violation constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance plea-agreement plea-bargaining sentencing sentencing-discretion Did trial court abuse discretion by considering nolle prossed charge in sentencing, violating 5th and 14th Amendment rights
18-8200 Tommy Earl Boone, Jr. v. Texas Texas 2019-02-28 Denied Relisted (2)IFP administrative-law civil-rights constitutional-interpretation criminal-law due-process legislative-intent official-discretion parole punishment-proportionality sentencing-discretion standing statutory-interpretation takings Whether the Texas legislature's strategic dismantling of the SAFE-Keeping proviso of the 1987-Amended Law violates substantive due process
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…
18-759 Matthew D. Sample v. United States Tenth Circuit 2018-12-14 Denied Amici (3) criminal-sentencing district-court district-court-authority district-court-discretion imprisonment income-earning probation restitution sentencing-discretion victim-compensation Whether a district court may reduce a prison sentence, or impose a probationary term in lieu of imprisonment, to enable a defendant to earn income to …
18-6590 Salah Mohamed v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-11-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion aggravating-factor due-process escape flight-risk immigration naturalization naturalized-defendant sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines statutory-maximum Does a court abuse its discretion under the United States Sentencing Guidelines by sentencing a naturalized defendant more than three times above his …
18-6604 Joseph Jenkins v. United States Second Circuit 2018-11-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights court-reporters-act court-transcript due-process judicial-misconduct perjury perjury-by-exclusion qualified-retirement retirement-savings sentencing sentencing-discretion Question not identified
18-6327 Rolando Humphrey v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-10-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553 18-usc-3553a criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-sentencing judicial-determination judicial-discretion jury-role jury-trial sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-18-usc-3553 statutory-minimum Whether district courts may determine without the aid of a jury that a sentence above the statutory minimum is 'not greater than necessary' to achieve…
18-6335 George Jenkins v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure cruel-and-unusual-punishment drug-offense due-process first-time-offender non-violent-crime proportionality reasonableness-review sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines Whether the sentence imposed is unreasonable
18-6207 Manuel Ernesto Paiz Guevara v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-10-03 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP abuse-of-discretion capital-crime capital-punishment criminal-procedure death-penalty eighth-amendment fourth-circuit-split mandatory-sentencing miller-v-alabama right-to-counsel sentencing sentencing-discretion statutory-interpretation Whether the Fourth Circuit erred in denying the defendant's request for two attorneys in a capital case
18-6063 Craig Alexander v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-09-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals criminal-history criminal-procedure disciplinary-infractions due-process judicial-discretion judicial-interpretation section-3582 sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the Supreme Court should resolve split decisions in the lower court as to how far a Judge must explain and/or elaborate on a decision to grant…
18-5970 Allen D. Gorion v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-09-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review criminal-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process federal-sentencing judicial-discretion reasonableness reasonableness-standard sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reform Whether certiorari should be granted to set forth some guidelines in determining when a sentence is unreasonable?
18-5893 Dan Wayne Streetman v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-09-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP booker-precedent booker-v-united-states child-pornography gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion kimbrough-v-united-states policy-disagreement sentencing-commission sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-uniformity separation-of-powers Whether a district court can refuse to apply a sentencing guideline on policy grounds where the guideline is not based on the Sentencing Commission's …
18-5872 Miguel Medina-Reyes v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-09-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP 3553(a) drug-trafficking federal-criminal-justice-system pre-sentence-report sentencing 3553(a) 3553(a)-factors 3553a-factors abuse-of-discretion amendment-782 criminal-procedure drug-amount drug-quantity-attribution drug-trafficking-conspiracy due-process pre-sentence-report sentencing sentencing-discretion threshold Whether Petitioner's due process rights were violated
18-5828 Adolfo Lopez-Garcia v. United States Seventh Circuit 2018-08-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(a) 18-usc-3553a 18-usc-3582(c)(2) 3582c-motion amendment-782 criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing district-court procedural-reasonableness sentence-reduction sentencing-discretion sentencing-error sentencing-guidelines statutory-directive statutory-interpretation substantive-error substantive-reasonableness sufficient-but-not-greater-than-necessary Whether the District Court Committed substantive error when failed to impose a sentence that was sufficient but not greater than necessary to comply w…
18-5696 Curtis Croft v. Illinois Illinois 2018-08-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-review due-process irreparable-corruption juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole miller-v-alabama opportunity-to-present-evidence sentencing-discretion split-of-authority Whether Illinois has misused the broad discretion allowed the states
18-5607 Friday Ogunyemi James v. United States Third Circuit 2018-08-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure discretion due-process evidence fair-instruction jury-instructions restitution sentencing sentencing-discretion tax tax-offense theory-of-defense trial-exhibit willfulness Whether the Petitioner was entitled to a fair instruction to support the verdict in his favor on the theory of defense that has the basis in the evide…
18-203 Joey Montrell Chandler, aka Joey M. Chandler, aka Joey Chandler v. Mississippi Mississippi 2018-08-15 Denied Amici (5)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) 8th-amendment criminal-procedure eighth-amendment incorrigible juvenile-offender juvenile-offenders juvenile-sentencing life-without-parole permanent-incorrigibility rehabilitation sentencing sentencing-discretion state-supreme-courts Whether the Eighth Amendment requires the sentencing authority to make a finding that a juvenile is permanently incorrigible before imposing a sentenc…
18-5484 William N. Washington v. California California 2018-08-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-sentencing custody-credits due-process equal-protection habeas-corpus original-sentence penal-code penal-code-1170.18 proposition-47 resentencing safe-neighborhoods-act sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether the trial court erred in failing to recalculate all days of custody from the date of original judgment, and only awarded custody credits from …
18-81 Carltez Taylor v. Indiana Indiana 2018-07-19 Denied constitutional-proportionality cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment juvenile-sentencing life-expectancy life-without-parole miller-v-alabama sentencing-discretion term-of-years Whether it is cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a juvenile to a term exceeding their life expectancy for a single offense
18-5153 Arthur Wayne Kniffley v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-07-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP ball-v-united-states blockburger-test child-pornography criminal-conviction double-jeopardy double-jeopardy,child-pornography,fifth-amendment, double-jeopardy,fifth-amendment,child-pornography, fifth-amendment mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-sentencing sentencing-discretion Whether a conviction for producing child pornography violates the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment because the defendant was previously c…