by Dale Chappell
In a case broadening the scope of relief for crack cocaine offenders under the First Step Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held on December 7, 2020, that all three provisions under 21 U.S.C. § 841 dealing with crack cocaine were “modified” by …
by Dale Chappell
Voters across the nation let their votes speak loud and clear on what they wanted this past Election Day: More reform-minded prosecutors and more oversight and accountability of the police.
In Los Angeles County, George Gascon beat Jackie Lacey for district attorney, after Lacey was criticized by …
by Dale Chappell
The Supreme Court of Ohio held that a condition requiring a man to “avoid impregnating a woman” while on probation for failing to pay child support was not sufficiently related to the offense and required overturning the condition.
It was undisputed that London Chapman fathered 11 children …
by Dale Chappell
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that merely gesturing with a hand that a defendant possessed a gun during a robbery and ordering bystanders into a room was not enough to warrant two enhancements under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (“USSG”).
The two issues …
by Dale Chappell
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery is not a valid offense to allow a conviction for use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). The Court joined the …
by Dale Chappell
Ever since SCOTUS decided in Rehaif v. United States, 134 S. Ct. 2191 (2019), that the government must prove as an element that a person had to know that he was a previously convicted felon to convict under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), the felon-in-possession of a …
by Dale Chappell
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated a nearly 20-year sentence after the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas cited what the Government might have been able to prove (but didn’t) to justify imposing a sentence that was almost eight times …
by Dale Chappell
Wouldn’t it be nice if the U.S. Supreme Court actually said when its decision constitutes a new rule and whether it applies retroactively? If only things were so easy.
I remember the first time I heard a lawyer say that a new Supreme Court decision wasn’t a …
by Dale Chappell
The Supreme Court of Colorado held on December 14, 2020, that dividing up multiple images of child pornography in order to charge a defendant with multiple counts of possession of child pornography violated the Double Jeopardy Clause of both the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions.
The case came …
by Dale Chappell
The fired San Francisco Police Department (“SFPD”) officer who shot and killed an unarmed carjacking suspect in December 2017 faces multiple charges, including manslaughter, by the new district attorney who vowed to hold police accountable.
The incident happened when SFPD officer Christopher Samayoa was riding with his …
