News

Delaware physician is convicted on 13 counts of unlawfully dispensing opioids. At sentencing, the gov't puts forward a medical expert who reviewed files for 24 of the 1,142 patients to whom the good doctor had prescribed controlled substances in the last two years, concluding that prescriptions…

Disappointed after arriving at the Social Security Administration's office in Philadelphia and finding it closed by the pandemic, local man gets into a scrape with two of the security guards. He's convicted of assaulting federal officials. The man: But they were private security guards…

Car in Hooksett, N.H. is traveling in the right lane and doesn't signal as the 2-lane road turns into a 1-laner. A cop stops the car and finds that the passenger has outstanding warrants and was carrying a bag of drugs. Yikes! But wait! The passenger argues state law does not require a signal…

When you start this D.C. Circuit opinion about a January 6 defendant's sentence, you might think it's about the Capitol riots. You will be disappointed (or delighted) to learn that it's actually a grammar lesson, complete with diagramed sentences. Seriously. Conclusion: This fellow can't be…

Law enforcement agents sometimes find unlawul drugs concealed in vehicles attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico. The drivers of these vehicles commonly deny knowledge of the drugs, arguing they are unknowing couriers, aka "blind mules."  Of course, in a prosecution for…

Today the Sentencing Commission allowed for delayed retroactive application of Amendment 821 relating to criminal history—meaning that certain currently incarcerated individuals could be eligible for reduced sentences made effective beginning on February 1, 2024 (…

Doctor is convicted of running pill mill based on 13 counts of unlawfully dispensing schedule II controlled substances (one count for each unlawful prescription). At trial, the government put on evidence of many prescriptions beyond the ones in the indictment. That evidence came from the…

DSO is excited to announce the selection of the twelve host offices for the 2024-2026 Non-Capital Diversity Fellowship Program.  You may learn more about these offices and the program on our website at https://diversityfellowship.…

The Prison Litigation Reform Act requires inmates to exhaust an internal grievance process before filing a federal lawsuit against prison officials, but per the Fourth Circuit, that doesn't mean inmates can be forced to "walk … a nonsensical and perplexing path" to achieve said exhaustion. No…

Yesterday, the Fourth Circuit reminded us once again that “extraordinary and compelling reasons” sufficient to justify compassionate release under the First Step Act are not limited to COVID-19 and medical issues.  In United…