U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals - Am Sec Ass’n v. SEC - APA, rule challenge - Weinstein v. 440 Corp - Rule 41(a), dismissal ...more
In what may come as a surprise to many, lawmakers across the political spectrum actually agree on at least one thing: the practice of sentencing federal defendants based on acquitted conduct has gone on long enough. Last...more
Key Takeaways - ..The Third Circuit recently decided that the loss enhancement to the fraud guideline in the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines applies only to “actual loss” and not to “intended loss.” ..While the primary...more
United States v. Yusuf (April 2, 2021), No. 19-3472 Unanimous decision: Jordan (writing), McKee, and Smith Concurrence: McKee Defendants pleaded guilty to their respective crimes and stipulated that they would not argue, at...more
Precedential Opinions of Note - False Claims Act’s First-to-File Bar Permits Amended Complaint Adding New Relator - In re Plavix Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (No. II) (September 1, 2020), No....more
In United States v. Moran, the Second Circuit (Calabresi, Cabranes, Chin) affirmed the sentence of Lamont Moran, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin. ...more
In United States v. Barrett, No. 14-2541 (2d Cir. Aug. 30, 2019) (Winter, Raggi, Droney), the Second Circuit vacated a defendant’s conviction for using a firearm in connection with a “crime of violence” under 18 U.S.C. §...more
In United States v. Ryan, 17-3919-cr (Jacobs, Lohier, Carney), the Second Circuit affirmed a four-level enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B) for using a firearm in connection with another felony offense. Appellant...more
The Second Circuit (Leval, Lynch, Droney) issued a decision reversing a mandatory life sentence, finding plain error because the district court failed to apply the categorical approach when considering whether the...more
The Second Circuit has once again confronted the issue of what is a “controlled substance” for purposes of sentencing enhancements under the Guidelines. ...more
For the third time in the past year, the Second Circuit in United States v. Jenkins, No. 14-4295 (Kearse, Jacobs, Parker), has vacated as substantively unreasonable a sentence imposed under the sentencing guideline for child...more
Two Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court took the Fourth Circuit to task for not publishing a significant opinion. The ear-boxing came last month in the form of a denial of a Petition for Certiorari from which Justice Thomas...more