Articles Posted in Federal Criminal Law News

Lall: Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Holds Confession Involuntary in Federal Criminal Case in Which State Police Had Told Defendant He Wouldn’t Be Charged
Kish Law LLC

Last Friday, the Eleventh Circuit, which hears federal appeals here in Atlanta, Georgia, reversed Lance Lall’s conviction for credit card fraud related offenses. Although Lall was Mirandized and arguably not in custody, the Court held that his confessions were not voluntarily given, in violation of the Due Process Clause. The investigating officer had told Lall…

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Supreme Court Opinions Issued This Morning in Graham v. Florida, U.s. v. Comstock, and Abbott v. Abbott
Kish Law LLC

This morning the United States Supreme Court issued three opinions. In Graham v. Florida, the Court held that the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause does not permit a juvenile offender to be sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole for a nonhomicide crime. Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion, joined by…

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Phaknikone: Eleventh Circuit Holds Myspace Profile Photographs Inadmissible Character Evidence, but Harmless Error
Kish Law LLC

Yesterday, the Eleventh Circuit, which hears appeals from federal cases here in Atlanta, held in U.S. v. Phaknikone that profile photographs from the criminal defendant’s Myspace account were inadmissible evidence of character. The government argued that the photos demonstrated modus operandi: the defendant’s gangsta style as shown in the photographs identified the defendant because he…

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Dean: Eleventh Circuit Holds in Sorna Retroactivity Case That the Attorney General Properly Invoked the Good Cause Exception to the Notice and Comment Procedures Required by the Apa
Kish Law LLC

This week, the Eleventh Circuit held that the rule making the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) retroactive was valid. In passing the rule, the Attorney General did not provide a notice and comment period as required by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The Court held, over Judge Wilson’s strong opinion concurring only…

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Padilla v. Kentucky: Sixth Amendment Effective Assistance of Counsel Requires Criminal Defense Lawyers to Advise Clients When Pleas Carry a Risk of Deportation
Kish Law LLC

Yesterday the federal Supreme Court decided Padilla v. Kentucky. The Court recognized its “responsibility under the Constitution to ensure that no criminal defendant – whether a citizen or not – is left to the mercies of incompetent counsel. To satisfy this responsibility, [the Court held] that counsel must inform her client whether his plea carries…

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Sneed: Eleventh Circuit Holds Sentencing Courts May Not Rely on Police Reports to Determine Whether Prior Crimes Were Committed on Different Occasions for Acca Purposes
Kish Law LLC

Last week, the Eleventh Circuit federal appeals court decided U.S. v. Sneed. In this Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) case, the Court decided that U.S. v. Shepard, decided by the Supreme Court in 2005, abrogated the Eleventh Circuit’s 2000 decision in U.S. v. Richardson. The Court held that sentencing courts may look only to Shepard-approved…

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Health Care Fraud Provisions in Federal Bill Passed Last Night
Kish Law LLC

The Health Care bill that passed last night provides for additional funding to the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC). This program was established as a part of the Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996 “to combat fraud committed against all health plans, both public and private.” The HCFAC program…

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Phillips: A Crack Reduction Is a Sentence Under Rule 35
Kish Law LLC

Congratulations to Jake Waldrop and the Federal Defender Office here in Atlanta for winning one at the Court of Appeals this week! Yesterday, the Eleventh Circuit held that Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 35, which imposes a seven-day jurisdictional time limit on modifications of sentences, applies to crack resentencings, as well as original sentencings. The…

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Oral Arguments in Third Circuit Electronic Privacy Case – Should the DOJ Need a Warrant to Obtain Location Data From Cell Phones??
Kish Law LLC

Last week, the Third Circuit, which hears appeals from federal cases in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, heard oral arguments in a worrisome electronic privacy case: In The Matter Of The Application Of The United States Of America For An Order Directing A Provider Of Electronic Communication Service To Disclose Records To The Government. The…

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Eleventh Circuit: Both Defendant and Federal Prosecutors Entitled to Notice and Opportunity to Respond When Court Intends to Rely on New Information in Modification of a Criminal Sentence
Kish Law LLC

Last week the Eleventh Circuit, which sits here in Atlanta, Georgia, decided U.S. v. Jules. The Court held that “when a district court intends to rely on new information in deciding a motion for the modification of a sentence pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2),” both the federal government and the criminal defendant are entitled…

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