Comey Hearings Show the Public that Federal Government Only Serves Itself, Not Them

Now the Public Has a Clearer Picture of How the Federal Government Only Serves Itself


 No new opinions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court this morning, but there should be several in the next two weeks.  However, was anyone even remotely capable of turning away from the over-hyped Congressional testimony this past week of the former "Top Law Enforcement Officer of the United States?" Turns out that he was just another "CI," who leaked information (or made stuff up) in hopes of improving his circumstances (or reducing his sentence). 

Although the media circus was allegedly about the President and his administration, it was the disingenuous nature of the American justice system that was actually publicly "unmasked."  Add this development to the general public's growing unease with the narrative that "we're from the government, and we're here to help you."
 
Make no mistake, the DOJ and BOP are an integral part of the "Deep State." If you believe in the maxim, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," the current administration's disruptive attack on the federal  bureaucracy is cause for guarded optimism. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
 The other consequence of this turmoil in Washington is the new-found assertiveness of the federal judiciary, who have been looking for ways to assert their independence of the DOJ and the executive branch. In this new atmosphere, there is hope that the Chevron case, which granted broad judicial deference to federal agency (i.e., BOP) rulemaking powers, will finally be revisited.  This would be huge, as lawsuits on matters such as substandard medical care and compassionate release would not face the current high threshold for success.

In the circuits,  there were some interesting cases the past week.  In U.S. v. Zuniga, the defendant overcame a Beckles defense to his sentence, successfully arguing "that his prior Texas conviction for delivery of a controlled substance cannot serve as a predicate offense for purposes of Section 4.B1.1's enhancement," and reversing and remanding his conviction, following Hinkle, Decamps and Mathis. (14-11302, June 5, 2017).

In a follow-up to the 7th Circuit stash-house sting cases, the 7th rejected a 2255 habeas alleging inadequate representation of counsel where defense counsel failed to raise an entrapment defense. Unlike the case of his co-defendant Mayfield, 771 F.3d at 424, n. 3, Nathan Ward lost his direct appeal, and was left with only the habeas to contest his guilt. Ward v. U.S, 15-2599, June 5, 2017.

Supreme Court Updates

Supreme Court Continues to Extend "Vagueness" Doctrine; Appellate Updates

 

            The U.S. Supreme Court this morning again extended the breadth of Johnson vagueness doctrine by extending it to three cases where defendants received career-offender status for what amounted to consensual sexual relations with barely-underage minors. The original 2017 SC holding, Esquival-Quintana v. Sessions, which rejected the application of such incidents involving minors 16 and over, was a convincing 8-0 decision. Three cases from the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, were summarily vacated and remanded for resentencing.

            We are also following and considering the application of an interesting case out of Oklahoma, U.S. v Jeffrey Dan Williams, 97cr171,brought to our attention by one of our readers. In this case, compelling new evidence casting doubt upon the veracity of law enforcement and CI testimony against Williams brought about the granting of a second-successive 2255. Williams, who did not dispute his guilt in a drug case he said involved 37 grams but always contested the amplification of his drug quantity that resulted in a 35-year sentence, argued that U.S. v. Blackwell, 127 F.3d 947, and its progeny applied to redress unfairly obtained indictments and guilty, resulting fundamental miscarriages of justice that amounted to fraud upon the court. We are currently reviewing several of our cases to apply the reasoning of this case.

            In his decision vacating the judgment and sentence and dismissing the indictments, Judge James H. Payne noted that "the court finds it has the inherent power and jurisdiction to grant relief." and that the fraud upon the court harmed the "integrity of the judicial process."

            This follows on the heels of the scandal in Kansas City, Kansas federal court, involving the  admitted recording of confidential communications between unconvicted defendants and their attorneys, that has now resulted in the resignation (or dismissal) of two assistant federal prosecutors caught up in the scheme.

            In the circuits, the Ninth Circuit ruled that there is no right to file a 2255 alleging ineffective assistance of counsel in a Section 3582(c)(2) sentence reduction matter, since the Supreme Court ruled in the Dillon case that such proceedings did not constitute a sentence reduction. Sherrod v. U.S., 16-72178, (9th Cir., May 24, 2017).

 

Johnson Case Doctrine Extended to Fifth Circuit Texas Case of US v Tanksley

Fifth Circuit Tanksley Decision Another Johnson-Based Reversal of Texas Drug Offense

 

            Appellant Dantana Tanksley pled guilty to felony drug possession, and at sentence was advised that his previous Texas drug conviction qualified as a "controlled substance offense" under US Sentencing Commissions Guidelines. Previous Texas law had held that his prior qualified under the guidelines.

            However, Mathis v. US changed the law, and the court held that the underlying Texas drug delivery statute, 481.112(a) was divisible., defining two crimes: possession with intent to deliver (which qualified for the enhancement under the Guidelines, ), and mere delivery, which did not.  Mathis held that this approach was proper only when the statute list element in the alternative. "Mathis is 'more than merely illuminating with respect to the case before us,' it unequivocally resolves the question in favor of Tanksley,'" the Fifth Circuit said.

            The case also rejected the government's fall-back defense of "harmless error," ruling that nothing the district court said substantiated that defense, and the Fifth Circuit refused to bail out the government. The court reversed the sentence and remanded for resentencing.

            This particular case is yet another in the line of Johnson-related cases that have granted prisoner relief.

           

 

 

Obama Should be Celebrated for Criminal Justice Progress He Achieved

On Martin Luther King Day, Let Us Remember Obama's Accomplishments

 

            As the United States prepares to inaugurate a new President, it is time to look back at the last eight years and consider what they have meant to all federal prisoners.  Although we have not been shy in this space to express our disappointment in the President on the subject of broad sentence relief, we must not lose sight of his accomplishments that laid the groundwork for more progress in that area.

            First, although Obama will be remembered as the first African-American President, you would be hard-pressed to point to any one instance where he favored one segment of the population over another on the basis of race. He was elected by the people, and whether you supported him or not, that is a fact.

            Second, when you eliminate the media "noise" surrounding him, whatever your politics, you must applaud his basic decency as a husband, a father, and as a man. Whether you agree with his politics or not, his personal life has been completely free of scandal or innuendo, and he has been an excellent role model to all Americans whatever their race  and not just because of his unique background.

            Thirdly, Obama put all prisoners "on the map" of responsible public discussion. He was the first President in memory to visit a federal prison, and the optics of that visit will be helpful for years to come.  The BOP is the most publicity-adverse agency in the federal government, and its archaic management style only can survive in the absence of media attention to its practices. Obama blew that up, and there is no going back.

            Fourthly, one can not overstate the impact that over 1000 commutations and pardons had on public consciousness of the plight of prisoners, and every announcement of more executive mercy was more positive publicity for the cause of even more sentence relief. 

            Finally, it may be hard to understand when you are enduring the many daily  indignities of incarceration, but the general public IS aware of your situation, and is open to change, and is tired of footing the bill for excessive sentences.  People who voted for both Clinton and Trump think that the federal government does a poor job of managing ALL of its agencies, including the DOJ and the BOP. When the only people opposing sentence relief are the labor unions for assistant U.S. Attorneys, and prison guards, we see an opportunity for a serious disruption of the old way of doing business in the American "Justice" system."

           

Sentencing Reform's Success in 2017 May Depend Upon Faith-Based Groups

Faith-Based Coalitions Prepare to Weigh in on Sentence Reform in New Year

 

            After the past year, when the old political order was swept aside, traditional media discredited, and government institutions under renewed scrutiny by a skeptical electorate, we are not surprised that many organizations who failed to predict all of these upheavals are once again missing the newest trend in 2017 sentence relief hiding in plain sight. Many faith-based religious organizations, fresh from providing difference-making grass-roots support to the winning presidential candidate,  are preparing to take the lead in pressuring Congress to take action to reduce federal incarceration and recidivism.

            This process has already begun on the state level, as state officials come to realize that for-profit prisons and reentry facilities like halfway houses are just aren't getting the job done. Expect the new administration to strongly consider measures that get religious communities closely involved in the criminal justice system.

            The groundwork has already been set. The new administration has big plans for reducing the footprint of the federal agencies, none of which they are going to like. Put into an office by voters tired of the old, wasteful way of doing the people's business, they owe absolutely nothing to the federal bureaucracies,  and there are no more opaque or inefficient agencies than the BOP and the DOJ.

            .The harsh reality is that the previous administration, lauded by the media for its many  eloquent words supporting the concept of sentence relief, failed to take advantage of the fact that a majority of Congressmen and senators supported sentence relief. Yet, no sentence relief bills were even called for a vote.  Those votes are still there, and ready for executive leadership on measures that have broad bipartisan support, and support of an increasing number of religious organizations.

 

           In 2017, there will be an opportunity for faith-based groups of all denominations to

provide the leadership, initiative, and moral force to do their part to make sentence reform a reality, and thereafter accept the responsibility to  do whatever is necessary to make it successful.