No. 23-5150

Augustus Quintrell Light v. United States

Lower Court: Eighth Circuit
Docketed: 2023-07-20
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: constitutional-due-process criminal-procedure government-misconduct illegal-sentence ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plea-agreement plea-bargaining prosecutorial-discretion sentencing sentencing-error
Key Terms:
Privacy
Latest Conference: 2023-09-26
Question Presented (from Petition)

WHETHER ON ONE'S, DID THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS COMMIT ERROR IN FINDING THAT THE DISTRICT COURT DID NOT ABUSE ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING PETITIONER'S MOTION TO WITHDRAW PLEA AGREEMENT, AND WHETHER IT FOUND THAT THE GOVERNMENT FULFILLED ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE PLEA AGREEMENT, PURPORTEDLY DID NOT MANDATE AN ILLEGAL SENTENCE, LOGICALLY VS FACT THE PLEA AGREEMENT DID MANDATE AN ILLEGAL SENTENCE WHEN THE PROMISE THE PROSECUTOR MADE COULD NOT BE FULFILLED?

WHETHER TWO, DID THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS ERR IN AFFIRMING THE DISTRICT COURT'S CONCLUSION THAT PETITIONER MAY ONLY FOR AN ILLEGAL SENTENCE, INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, AND LEGAL INNOCENCE CLAIM (WITH GRAND VS "GLOBAL PLEA AGREEMENT/CONTRACT" ONLY ON DIRECT APPEAL OR COLLATERAL ATTACK PURSUANT TO THE F.R.CRiM.P. 11(e), WHEN PETITIONER ON REMAND BEFORE SENTENCING MOVED TO WITHDRAW "GLOBAL PLEA AGREEMENT/CONTRACT" PURSUANT TO F.R.CRiM.P. 11(d)(2)(B) "FAIR AND JUST" REASONING STANDARD?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Did the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals commit plain error when it found that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying petitioner's motion to withdraw global plea agreement, and erred in finding that the government fulfilled its obligations under the global plea agreement, purportedly did not mandate an illegal sentence, when in fact the global plea agreement did mandate an illegal sentence when the premise the prosecutor made could not be fulfilled?

Docket Entries

2023-10-02
Petition DENIED.
2023-07-27
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/26/2023.
2023-07-25
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2023-07-07
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due August 21, 2023)

Attorneys

Augustus Light
Augustus Quintrell Light — Petitioner
United States
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent