sex-trafficking
45 cases — ← All topics
| Case | Title | Lower Court | Docketed | Status | Flags | Tags | Question Presented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-949 | John Doe, et al. v. X Corp., fka Twitter, Inc. | Ninth Circuit | 2026-02-10 | Pending | child-pornography civil-immunity good-samaritan internet-platform section-230 sex-trafficking | Whether Section 230's Good Samaritan immunity applies to the knowing possession and distribution of child pornography and knowingly benefiting from a … | |
| 25A631 | John Doe, et al. v. Twitter, Inc., et al. | Ninth Circuit | 2025-12-01 | Application | child-pornography civil-liability content-moderation internet-platform section-230 sex-trafficking | Whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides immunity to internet platforms for knowingly possessing child pornography and benefitin… | |
| 25A484 | Ralph Kevin Tovar v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2025-10-28 | Application | circuit-split federal-criminal-law interstate-commerce jurisdictional-element sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation | Whether the use of internet-based interstate communication instrumentalities alone is sufficient to satisfy the 'in or affecting interstate commerce' … | |
| 25-5904 | Lawrence Ray v. United States | Second Circuit | 2025-10-16 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | actus-reus criminal-statute enterprise-definition knowledge-requirement rico-conspiracy sex-trafficking | Whether in a RICO conspiracy prosecution the government must prove a de facto enterprise affecting commerce or if a jury can be charged with guilt bas… |
| 25-150 | Anton Joseph Lazzaro v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2025-08-07 | Denied | Response Waived | age-of-consent criminal-law federal-statute mens-rea sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation | Does a person who engages in otherwise lawful, consensual sex with a 16 or 17-year-old dating partner commit 'sex-trafficking' if the person gives unc… |
| 24A739 | Fei Fei Fan v. Yan Yao Jiang, et al. | Ninth Circuit | 2025-01-28 | Presumed Complete | 18-usc-1589 18-usc-1591 federal-statute forced-labor ninth-circuit sex-trafficking | Whether the Ninth Circuit correctly interpreted the scope of federal sex trafficking and forced labor statutes in a case involving complex allegations… | |
| 24-6253 | Victor Clayton v. United States | Third Circuit | 2025-01-08 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-procedure motion-to-dismiss motion-to-withdraw plea-agreement rule-12 sex-trafficking | Did the district court err in denying defendant's motion to dismiss under Rule of Criminal Procedure 12(b)(3) for sex trafficking charges and did the … |
| 24-605 | Jason Dee Taylor v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2024-12-03 | Denied | Response Waived | criminal-statute federalism police-powers sex-trafficking states-rights tenth-amendment | Whether the government's application of a federal criminal statute for sex trafficking to purely local prostitution violates states' traditional polic… |
| 24-6020 | Justin Rivera v. United States | Second Circuit | 2024-11-22 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | appellate-review circuit-split criminal-conviction federal-statute sentencing-guidelines sex-trafficking | Whether the Second Circuit erred in affirming a sex trafficking conviction based on a sentencing guidelines interpretation that conflicts with the Nin… |
| 24-145 | Arthur Lopez v. Court of Appeal of California, Second Appellate District, et al. | California | 2024-08-09 | Denied | civil-procedure due-process equal-protection family-code restraining-order sex-trafficking | Whether a male Catholic father can obtain a civil restraining order under equal protection principles despite being an Air Force affiliate with allega… | |
| 24-146 | Arthur Lopez v. Court of Appeal of California, Second Appellate District, et al. | California | 2024-08-09 | Denied | civil-procedure due-process equal-protection family-code restraining-order sex-trafficking | Whether a male Catholic father can obtain a restraining order under equal protection and due process principles despite familial connections to allege… | |
| 23A1133 | Jason Gatlin v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2024-06-21 | Presumed Complete | criminal-procedure double-jeopardy eleventh-circuit finality jury-verdict sex-trafficking | Whether a jury's verdict becomes final for double jeopardy purposes when the verdict is announced in open court, is unanimous, and no juror has regist… | |
| 23A972 | Benjamin Biancofiori v. United States | Seventh Circuit | 2024-05-01 | Presumed Complete | confrontation-clause criminal-procedure evidence-admissibility hearsay-exception sex-trafficking sixth-amendment | Whether the Sixth Amendment permits the admission of out-of-court narrative evidence describing a defendant's alleged criminal acts against non-testif… | |
| 23-6934 | Calvin C. Freeman v. United States | Seventh Circuit | 2024-03-11 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | constitutional-vagueness criminal-law criminal-statute due-process minor-protection minors prosecutorial-discretion sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation vagueness | Whether Congress intended the Alternative sex trafficking of children 'OR' by force, fraud, or coercion as Alternative Elements or Alternative Means? |
| 23-6681 | Danny Lowe v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2024-02-06 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | appeal criminal-intent due-process harmless-error jury-instruction jury-instructions mens-rea ninth-circuit sex-trafficking | Is the jury instruction that misstates the mens rea of the offense harmless where the sole issue at trial is the defendant's criminal intent? |
| 23-6623 | Johnl Jackson v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2024-01-30 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | compulsory-process confrontation confrontation-clause constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-rules-of-evidence notice-requirement sex-trafficking | Whether the criminal defendant's constitutional trial rights require the admission of the complainant's other prostitution activities to rebut the gov… |
| 23-6475 | Darrius Decnan Redd v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2024-01-12 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | confrontation-clause credibility cross-examination due-process evidence-exclusion fair-trial prosecutorial-misconduct sex-trafficking | Whether the district court violated the Defendant's Due Process and Confrontation rights by excluding video evidence |
| 23-6424 | Taquarius Kaream Ford v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2024-01-05 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 18-usc-1591 18-usc-1594 circuit-split criminal-sentencing double-jeopardy mandatory-minimum sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation | When two Sex Trafficking statutes combine into a single Count, does the penalty for Sex Trafficking Conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. Section 1594(c) which h… |
| 23-6310 | In Re Joseph Emerson | 2023-12-20 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process fbi-misconduct free-speech interstate-sex-trafficking privacy-violation sex-trafficking social-media-manipulation standing talent-agency-fraud | Whether the FBI's alleged actions of interstate sex trafficking, coercion, and invasion of privacy violated the petitioner's constitutional and statut… | |
| 23-5830 | Joseph Emerson v. Craigslist/Craig Newmark, et al. | Ohio | 2023-10-18 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | civil-procedure civil-rights corporate-conspiracy defamation due-process fbi-interference interstate-commerce interstate-sex-trafficking legal-obstruction sex-trafficking standing union-job-rights | Whether the FBI's alleged interference with Petitioner's employment and housing, as well as its alleged involvement in interstate sex trafficking, vio… |
| 23-5445 | William Bazemore v. United States | Second Circuit | 2023-08-25 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | abuse-of-discretion crime-of-violence criminal-procedure district-court factual-findings guilty-plea section-1591 sex-trafficking voluntariness withdrawal | Whether the district court abused its discretion when it denied defendant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea and failed to make factual findings nec… |
| 22-695 | Jane Does No. 1–6, et al. v. Reddit, Inc. | Ninth Circuit | 2023-01-25 | Denied | Relisted (2) | child-pornography civil-action civil-liability communications-decency-act internet-immunity sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation third-party-liability | Whether the exception to CDA immunity contained in 47 U.S.C. § 230(e)(5)(A) is limited solely to Section 1595 claims where the defendant itself has co… |
| 22-6293 | Dkyle Jamal Bridges v. United States | Third Circuit | 2022-12-13 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 4th-amendment automobile-exception confrontation-clause confrontation-right fourth-amendment franks-hearing plain-view sentencing-factors sex-trafficking testimonial-hearsay | Did the automobile exception to the Fourth Amendment justify the warrantless search of Petitioner's vehicle? |
| 22-5355 | Carlocito Slim, aka Carlocito Ponce Slim v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2022-08-15 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | age-of-consent criminal-intent criminal-law due-process entrapment law-enforcement-conduct mens-rea sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation victim-age | Whether a defendant can be convicted under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2422 (b) or 1591 (a)(1) on the basis of inconsistent ages of a single non-existent victim give… |
| 21-1409 | Prince Bixler v. United States | Sixth Circuit | 2022-05-03 | Denied | Response Waived | controlled-substances cross-examination federal-rule-of-evidence-412 fifth-amendment prostitution sentencing-enhancement sex-trafficking sixth-amendment | Whether Bixler's rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments were violated |
| 21-7567 | Cornell Devore Rhymes v. United States | Fourth Circuit | 2022-04-06 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 6th-amendment confrontation-clause constitutional-confrontation credibility criminal-defendant-rights evidence-rule-412 federal-rule-of-evidence-412 prior-sexual-history sex-trafficking witness-testimony | Does a court violate a defendant's constitutional right to confront witnesses against him when, the court relies on Federal Rule of Evidence 412 to pr… |
| 21-6977 | Lavont Flanders, Jr. v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2022-01-27 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 18-usc-1591 constitutional-challenge constitutional-claims equitable-tolling habeas-corpus habeas-petition postal-service-interference pro-se-litigant sex-trafficking sua-sponte-dismissal | Question not identified |
| 21-6433 | Jaimian Rashaad Sims v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2021-11-29 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | administration-of-justice beyond-reasonable-doubt criminal-procedure due-process federal-criminal-cases fifth-circuit-review jury-conviction sex-trafficking standard-of-review sufficiency-of-evidence | Whether the appeals court conducted an adequate review of the district court's denial of a judgment of acquittal and the jury's decision to convict ba… |
| 21-5843 | Brandon Lamar Pruitt v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2021-10-01 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | circuit-split constitutional-rights criminal-law due-process fifth-amendment jury-instruction mens-rea sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation | Whether the Ninth Circuit erred in affirming a jury instruction that allowed conviction for sex trafficking under 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1) without proof… |
| 21-459 | Jane Doe v. Facebook, Inc. | Texas | 2021-09-27 | Denied | Amici (3)Relisted (6) | communications-decency-act immunity internet-platform-immunity legal-liability platform-misconduct publisher-liability section-230 sex-trafficking third-party-content | Does Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provide immunity from suit to internet platforms in any case arising from the publication of third-… |
| 21-5002 | Jalil Lemason Robinson v. United States | Tenth Circuit | 2021-07-02 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | age-of-consent criminal-intent criminal-law due-process entrapment jury-instruction predisposition sex-trafficking undercover-operation undercover-operations | Did the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals err in determining that Mr. Robinson was not entitled to a jury instruction regarding the affirmative defense o… |
| 20-6938 | Muhammad E. Milhouse v. Camba Inc. Staff Members, et al. | Second Circuit | 2021-01-26 | Denied | IFP | civil-procedure civil-rights criminal-law due-process federal-statute freedom-of-religion freedom-of-speech prosecutorial-discretion sex-trafficking standing statutory-interpretation | Whether the petitioner's constitutional rights were violated by the government's actions in this case |
| 20-5905 | Travon Jarvel Jackson v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2020-10-05 | Denied | Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP | confrontation-clause criminal-procedure evidence-admissibility federal-rules-of-evidence rule-412 rule-608b sex-trafficking sixth-amendment witness-impeachment | Whether evidence of prior prostitution activity that is inadmissible under Rule 412 of the Federal Rules of Evidence to rebut a claim of sex trafficki… |
| 20-5737 | Jesse Lewis v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2020-09-17 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-procedure criminal-trial due-process juror-misconduct jury-impartiality jury-selection religious-bias sex-trafficking sixth-amendment | Whether the presence of a juror with religious bias violated the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury |
| 20-5576 | Sarina Ann Williams v. United States | Eighth Circuit | 2020-09-02 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | circuit-split congressional-intent conspiracy federal-law sentencing-guidelines sex-trafficking | Whether the crime of Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion carries a base offense level of 34 or 14 |
| 20-5153 | Jamiell Sims v. United States | Third Circuit | 2020-07-23 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | 18-usc-1594 conspiracy criminal-conspiracy criminal-law federal-jurisdiction federal-statute force-fraud-coercion offense-level sentencing sentencing-guidelines sex-trafficking | What is the base offense level for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1594(c)? |
| 19-7195 | Matthew Davonn Weatherspoon v. Colorado | Colorado | 2020-01-07 | Denied | IFP | cell-phone-tracking civil-rights colorado-statute criminal-law due-process first-amendment fourth-amendment free-speech law-enforcement privacy-rights search-and-seizure sex-trafficking standing statutory-interpretation warrant-requirement | Whether the Colorado statute on complicity in sex trafficking violates the First Amendment and due process rights of the defendant by criminalizing sp… |
| 19-6826 | Jennifer Castro v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2019-12-03 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | affirmative-defenses age-of-consent criminal-law criminal-statute human-trafficking mens-rea minor minor-victims prostitution prostitution-law reasonable-belief sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation strict-liability | Is 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a) a strict liability offense? |
| 19-6784 | Jermaine Whyte v. United States | Eleventh Circuit | 2019-11-27 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | age-of-victim criminal-law criminal-statute due-process mens-rea reasonable-opportunity sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation strict-liability | Whether 18 U.S.C. § 1591(c) creates a strict-liability-offense-for-age-of-victim |
| 18-8050 | Alvaun Thompson v. United States | Second Circuit | 2019-02-21 | Denied | Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP | age-requirement aggravated-offense criminal-statute federal-criminal-law mens-rea minors sentencing sex-trafficking strict-liability under-14 | Whether the mens rea requirement as to the person's being under 18 applies to the person's being under 14 or whether the aggravated under-14 offense i… |
| 18-7700 | Luther Gene Ray v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2019-01-31 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | criminal-law due-process federal-statute force-requirement human-trafficking interstate-commerce mens-rea sentencing sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation | Whether a conviction resulting in a fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 1591 requires, as the statute says, that force 'was used… |
| 18-7649 | Sergeyi Bazar v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2019-01-29 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | caminetti-v-united-states criminal-law federal-law mann-act mann-act-18-usc-2422 prostitution sex-trafficking sexual-conduct sexual-intercourse statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent united-states-v-bitty | When Congress amended the Mann Act (18 U.S.C. § 2422) in 1986, did it overrule this Court's decisions in United States v. Bitty, 208 U.S. 393 (1908), … |
| 18-6597 | Jazsmine Arielle Joseph v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2018-11-08 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | burden-of-proof child-trafficking confrontation-clause confrontation-rights conspiracy conspiracy-charge domestic-violence expert-testimony sex-trafficking | Did the lower court err in its decision regarding the requirements to prove a conspiracy charge in the sex trafficking of a child count? |
| 18-6343 | Roberto Llerenas, Jr. v. United States | Ninth Circuit | 2018-10-16 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | commerce-clause constitutional-challenge criminal-law due-process human-trafficking ninth-circuit reasonable-opportunity sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation statutory-vagueness vagueness | Whether 18 U.S.C. § 1591 is unconstitutionally vague |
| 18-6313 | Lacoya Washington v. United States | Fifth Circuit | 2018-10-12 | Denied | Response WaivedIFP | appeal conviction criminal-evidence criminal-law due-process evidence judicial-discretion sentencing sex-trafficking trial trial-severance | Whether there was sufficient evidence presented at trial to convict Lacoya Washington of the sex-trafficking-crime |