On Oct. 14, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Bowe v. U.S., a case that presents two consequential questions about the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act’s successive-petition regime that will have an immediate impact on federal
If you, or someone you’re close to, has been found guilty of a federal offense, you may have heard the term “career offender” being thrown around. This designation carries some serious consequences under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. In this blog
Compassionate release petitions are a lifeline for sentenced federal inmates facing serious medical conditions and other compassionate circumstances. The First Step Act, which came into force on December 21, 2018, expanded the eligibility criteria and streamlined the process for filing
When is a below-guidelines sentence unreasonable? Can a below-guidelines sentence be unreasonable?In U.S. v. Pineda, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that Pineda’s guidelines range of 188 to 235 months was not unreasonable based on her career offender
The First Step Act allows the court to reduce an inmate’s sentence if their offense was covered under the Fair Sentencing Act, but does the First Step Act apply to supervised release revocation?In U.S. v. Venable, the Fourth Circuit
Clients are often curious about the differences between filing a direct appeal to a federal appellate court and seeking relief under 28 USC §2255: a motion to vacate, set aside, or correct a sentence. The simplest answer is that
Hobbs Act extortion charges can be confusing for non-attorneys and for attorneys who don’t practice white collar criminal defense in the federal criminal courts. The Hobbs Act covers two categories of crime – it covers robberies when there is federal jurisdiction,
In my opinion, the post-conviction relief (PCR) system in South Carolina is completely and utterly broken for the vast majority of inmates. Under the Commission of Indigent Defense’s relatively new system, attorneys contract with that agency to take these cases.
John Oliver did a segment that highlighted why we need civil asset forfeiture reform.Asset forfeiture has become a mainstay of funding for many law enforcement agencies. Fishing for forfeiture funds on the nation’s highways has become something of a game
This is a question we get frequently at our firm and it’s not surprising. Oftentimes federal defendants, more worried about their loss of liberty than their financial future, do not focus enough attention challenging the government’s calculations regarding restitution. Then,
