Showing posts with label procedure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label procedure. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

district court applied a rebuttable presumption that defendant

US v. Wilms, No. 06-1896
Sentence for bank robbery and attempted bank robbery is vacated and remanded where the district court applied a rebuttable presumption that defendant should have been sentenced within the applicable Guidelines range.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

ACCA Error

US v. Collier, No. 06-1395
A sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm is vacated and remanded where the trial court erred in applying an enhancement under the Armed Career Criminals Act (ACCA) as defendant's conviction for prison escape under Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. section 750.193 did not qualify as a "violent felony" under the ACCA.

Ineffective Assistance of counsel defective indictment

US v. Weathers, No. 06-3022
Conviction and sentence for rape and attempted murder, denial of ineffective assistance of counsel claim are reversed where trial counsel provided constitutionally inadequate assistance by failing to challenge two counts of the indictment related to defendant's threats to injure the prosecutor as multiplicitous and in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause. Read more...

Friday, July 13, 2007

trial court erred in applying an enhancement under the Armed Career Criminals Act (ACCA)

US v. Collier, No. 06-1395
A sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm is vacated and remanded where the trial court erred in applying an enhancement under the Armed Career Criminals Act (ACCA) as defendant's conviction for prison escape under Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. section 750.193 did not qualify as a "violent felony" under the ACCA.

government breached its duty under defendant's plea agreement

US v. VanDam, No. 06-4104
A sentence for a drug trafficking offense is vacated and remanded where: 1) the government breached its duty under defendant's plea agreement by failing to recommend a term of imprisonment at the bottom of the applicable range under the sentencing guidelines; 2) under applicable precedent, it was inappropriate to apply a harmless-error analysis; and 3) defendant was entitled to specific performance before the same judge. Read more

Friday, June 29, 2007

Attorney failed to file appeal as instructed

CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, HABEAS CORPUS, SENTENCING
US v. Poindexter, No. 05-7635, 05-7636
Denial of motion to vacate sentence under 28 U.S.C. section 2255 is vacated and remanded as an attorney renders constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel if he fails to follow his client's unequivocal instruction to file a timely notice of appeal, even though the defendant may have waived his right to challenge his conviction and sentence in the plea agreement