Federal District Court Finds ‘Confusion’ Over Law in State Court Excused Late Filing of § 2255 Motion by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell Finding confusion in the state courts over the status of the law and obstacles put in place by the federal prison system that hindered filing for relief, …

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Fifth Circuit’s Rule Barring Plain-Error Review of Unpreserved Factual Arguments by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell In an opinion that amounted to just three paragraphs, the Supreme Court of the United States held on March 23, 2020, that the Fifth Circuit’s rule barring plain error review …

Seventh Circuit Vacates Sentence for Failure to Explain Extreme Departure of Guidelines Range by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated a defendant’s sentence because the district court failed to explain its reasoning for a 160 percent upward departure on remand where …