child-pornography

178 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-949 John Doe, et al. v. X Corp., fka Twitter, Inc. Ninth Circuit 2026-02-10 Pending child-pornography civil-immunity good-samaritan internet-platform section-230 sex-trafficking The Communications Decency Act encourages "Good Samaritan" acts to keep objectionable content off the internet. 47 U.S.C. §230(c). The Act states inte…
25-6566 William Dahl v. United States Eighth Circuit 2026-01-13 Pending IFP child-pornography criminal-law factfinder-standard federal-statute judicial-precedent statutory-interpretation 18 U.S.C. § 2252A criminalizes the receipt of child pornography. A depiction counts as child pornography if its "production . . . involves the use of …
25A707 Edward C. Brown v. United States Seventh Circuit 2025-12-17 Application child-pornography forensic-evidence knowingly-possessed metadata probation-violation supervised-release Question not identified.
25-6386 Gavin Michael Harold v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-12-16 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-punishment jury-trial mandatory-minimum restitution sixth-amendment In 2018, Congress enacted the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, which established a mandatory minimum restitution amount o…
25A631 John Doe, et al. v. Twitter, Inc., et al. Ninth Circuit 2025-12-01 Application child-pornography civil-liability content-moderation internet-platform section-230 sex-trafficking Question not identified.
25A610 Keegan L. Lovell v. United States Armed Forces 2025-11-24 Application child-pornography court-martial due-process guilty-plea military-justice uniform-code-of-military-justice Question not identified.
25-6223 Daniel Kroeker v. United States Tenth Circuit 2025-11-24 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-statute dost-factors jury-instruction lascivious-exhibition sexual-offense Whether, in a non-production child-pornography prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2), a trial court should define the phrase "lascivious exhibitio…
25A592 William Dahl v. United States Eighth Circuit 2025-11-18 Application child-pornography circuit-split dost-factors lascivious-exhibition minor-genitals statutory-interpretation Question not identified.
25A536 Adrienne L. Clark v. United States Armed Forces 2025-11-07 Application appellate-review child-pornography court-martial military-justice sexual-abuse ucmj Question not identified.
25-6041 Kaleb Layne Nix v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-11-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-law federal-prosecution interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifi…
25-5860 Robert Matthew Bowman v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-10-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-statute federal-jurisdiction interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B) authorizes conviction upon proof that a phone containing child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspeci…
25-383 Mark Van Epern v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-10-01 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-law federal-statute minor-protection sexual-exploitation statutory-interpretation (1) Whether a defendant "uses" a minor to engage in "sexually explicit conduct" under 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) by surreptitiously recording the minor nude …
25-5704 Jeanie Reese v. Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc., et al. California 2025-09-24 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP aggregate-effects child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-authority federal-prosecution interstate-commerce 1. Does-the "Aggregate Effects'! doctrine under Gonzales v Raich , 545 US 1 (2005) expand federal prosecution powers beyond the original limits desi…
25-5240 Jason Shortridge v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-07-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography computer-evidence expert-witness-disclosure government-disclosure sixth-amendment trial-continuance I. Whether a district court abuses its discretion by continuing a case following the Government's late disclosure of an expert witness whose testimony…
25-5088 Lorenzo Elias Mendez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2025-07-11 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance legal-innocence statutory-interpretation video-voyeurism This Petition seeks an order granting a certificate of appealability or. in the alternative, plenary review of the following questions: 1) Whether re…
24-7490 Clint Robert Schram v. United States Eighth Circuit 2025-06-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-evidence due-process minor-exploitation sentencing-standards uncharged-misconduct I. Given the increasing ease of creating of artificial images, is the government required to present evidence that the images it contends are of minor…
24-7453 In Re Curtis Baldwin 2025-06-17 Denied IFP aggregate-effects child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-limits federal-prosecution interstate-commerce 1. Does the "Aggregate Effects" doctrine under Gonzales v Raich , 545 US 1 (2005) expand federal prosecution powers beyond the original limits designa…
24-7203 Michael Inzitari v. Connecticut Connecticut 2025-05-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-split child-pornography constitutional-review dost-factors lascivious-exhibition sexual-conduct When the six factors of United States v. Dost, 636 F. Supp. 828 (S.D. Cal. 1986), are read to a jury as the means of obtaining a conviction solely bas…
24-7150 Oscar Williams, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-05-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-conviction extortion federal-statute u.s.c.-section-2251 u.s.c.-section-875 WHETHER THE PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY BY THE ALLEGED VICTIMS SUPPORTS A CONVICTION UNDER TITLE 18 U.S.C. SECTION 2251(a)? WHETHER PETITIONER, O…
24-7115 Elroy Wilkerson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2025-05-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-law minor-protection sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation visual-depiction Does a voyeur produce or possess visual depictions of a minor engaged in "sexually explicit conduct" when the images recorded the minor engaged in onl…
24-6826 Timothy W. Wright v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-03-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP active-interaction child-pornography criminal-law dubin-precedent statutory-construction statutory-interpretation In accordance with the method of statutory interpretation set forth in Dubin v. United States, 599 U.S. 110 (2023), should the term "uses" be interpre…
24-6687 Jason Jayavarman v. United States Ninth Circuit 2025-03-04 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography criminal-procedure duplicitous-indictment ineffective-counsel plea-offer rule-8a 1. Is indictment duplicitous when it charges two or more offenses in a single count? 2. Does Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 8(a) prohibit the cha…
24-6585 Patrick Jones v. United States Ninth Circuit 2025-02-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-law first-amendment mens-rea statutory-construction supreme-court-precedent Whether the child pornography offense set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) requires the government to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant h…
24A694 Jonathon William-Durand Neuhard v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-01-15 Presumed Complete certificate-of-appealability child-pornography habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance sentencing-mitigation sixth-circuit Question not identified.
24-6287 Sean J. Trahan v. United States First Circuit 2025-01-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography federal-law mandatory-minimum predicate-offense sentencing-enhancement state-conviction Whether a district court may impose an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence under 18 U.S.C. 2252A(b)(2) based on a prior state conviction "relating to"…
24-6185 Warren Siepman v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-12-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-statute digital-evidence federal-law peer-to-peer-networks transportation-of-illicit-material Whether a conviction for transportation of child pornography under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(1), based on a defendant's use of a peer-to-peer program, requ…
24A518 Zackary Ellis Sanders v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-11-26 Presumed Complete child-pornography circuit-split criminal-procedure electronic-data forfeiture-law property-rights Whether under 18 U.S.C. § 2253(a), electronic data files are distinct forms of property from the physical devices or medium on which they are stored.
24-6000 Rafael Antonio Bracero-Navas v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-11-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split federal-criminal-law lascivious-exhibition minor-protection statutory-interpretation Does a defendant produce a depiction of a minor engaging in "lascivious exhibition," and thus "sexually explicit conduct" under 18 U.S.C. 2251(a), by …
24-5883 Charles Victor Flint v. United States Tenth Circuit 2024-10-31 Denied IFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-sentencing federal-offense recidivism-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether § 2252A(b)(2)'s recidivism enhancement applies to a state sexual offense that criminalizes conduct more broadly than the corresponding federal…
24A423 Sean J. Trahan v. United States First Circuit 2024-10-30 Presumed Complete categorical-approach child-pornography circuit-split mandatory-minimum sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether, under the "categorical approach," the Massachusetts child pornography statute is "overbroad" such that a prior conviction under that statute …
24-5852 Alexander W. Kawleski v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-10-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-authority criminal-procedure due-process interstate-commerce witness-credibility (1) Did the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the District Court err when the Government's case rested on Tracy Brown's testimony that she unexpect…
24-5763 David Earl Boyd v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-10-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause congressional-power federal-prosecution interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation L. Whether 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251 and 2252A exceed Congressional commerce authority in authorizing conviction based only upon proof that materials — such a…
24-380 Matthew McCoy v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-10-03 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-intent federal-statute minor-protection sexual-exploitation video-recording Does a defendant produce videos depicting a minor engaged in "lascivious exhibition," and thus "sexually explicit conduct" under 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a), …
24-5626 Julio Reynaldo Rivera v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-09-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-sanctions federal-prosecution interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifi…
24-264 Jay A. Liestman v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-09-09 Denied child-pornography circuit-split federal-law sentencing-enhancement state-law statutory-interpretation 18 U.S.C. § 2252(b)(1) imposes an increased mandatory minimum and maximum sentence on a defendant who "has a prior conviction . . . under the laws of …
24-5419 Jonathan Fitzpatrick Koen v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-08-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause congressional-power federal-prosecution interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2251 exceeds Congressional commerce authority in authorizing conviction based only upon proof that materials — such as a cell phon…
24-170 Jake Delahney Taylor v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-08-16 Denied Response Waived child-pornography circuit-split federal-criminal-law lascivious-exhibition statutory-interpretation visual-depiction Do the statutory terms "visual depiction" and "lascivious exhibition" refer to the same, or different things?
24-5109 Clinton Mark Lewis v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-07-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2252 child-pornography circuit-split circumstantial-evidence criminal-law evidence-standard federal-statute image-specific ninth-circuit statutory-interpretation tenth-circuit 1. Is the charge of possession or accessing child pornography under 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B) "image specific" in that it requires proof that the defe…
24-5058 Joseph Curtis Hubman v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-07-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553(a)(2) 18-usc-3553a child-pornography criminal-history sentencing-guidelines sentencing-purposes upward-variance Whether an upward variance sentence nearly two years higher than recommended by the Sentencing Guidelines is greater than necessary to comply with the…
24A1 Jake Delahney Taylor v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-07-03 Presumed Complete child-pornography circuit-split first-amendment lascivious-exhibition sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation 1. This case presents an important issue concerning the interpretation of the child pornography statutes that has caused a circuit split. At issue is …
23A1167 Jay A. Liestman v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-06-27 Presumed Complete child-pornography federal-criminal-law mandatory-minimum predicate-offense sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Question not identified.
23A1154 Timothy Scott Hardin v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-06-25 Presumed Complete age-of-consent child-pornography circuit-split recidivist-provision sentencing-enhancement statutory-rape Question not identified.
23-7696 Rit Tran v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-06-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-limits criminal-law due-process federal-jurisdiction interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
23-7449 Jacob VanDyke v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-05-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-law Auer-v-Robbins Chevron chevron-deference child-pornography commentary deference guideline-commentary judicial-review sentencing-guidelines Whether the 1 to 75 ratio for videos found in the commentary to U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2 is entitled to deference under Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resou…
23-1194 Erik Hentzen v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-05-06 Denied Response Waived appeal appellate-review child-pornography harmless-error ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice-prong sixth-amendment strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Can Strickland v. Washington's "prejudice prong," be satisfied by a showing that constitutionally inadequate representation at the trial-court level "…
23-7061 Cody Dillon Hogan v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-03-22 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 8th-amendment child-pornography civil-rights criminal-law due-process eighth-amendment mandatory-minimum restitution statutory-interpretation 1. Proximate causation. This Court has opined that holding possessors of illegal pornography liable for the conduct of many other independent actors m…
23-6739 John Richard Brinson v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-02-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment child-pornography criminal-history criminal-sentencing due-process life-without-parole rehabilitation sentencing-reasonableness substantive-due-process substantive-reasonableness Whether a life without parole sentence for a 24 year old with no prior criminal record for producing child pornography is substantively unreasonable?
23-6662 Gregory A. Rollins v. Illinois Illinois 2024-02-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-law digital-files due-process statutory-interpretation vagueness Whether the portion of the Illinois child pornography statute allowing for the termination of possession, 720 ILLS 5/11-20.1(b)(5) (2016), is unconsti…
23-803 Shannon Donoho v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-01-25 Denied Relisted (4) child-pornography circuit-split due-process federal-criminal-statute lascivious-exhibition minor-protection secret-recording sexually-explicit-conduct visual-depiction Does a defendant produce a depiction of a minor engaging in "lascivious exhibition," and thus "sexually explicit conduct" under 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a), b…
23-6560 Cole A. Wolak v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-01-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-conviction district-court-error double-jeopardy possession procedural-reasonableness receipt-and-distribution sentencing WHEIHER THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN CONVICTING PETITIONER FOR BOTH POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND FOR RECEIPT AND DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAP…
23-6481 Ashley Nichole Kolhoff v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-01-12 Denied IFP child-pornography constitutional-rights criminal-intent criminal-law due-process fair-trial intent lascivious-exhibition statutory-interpretation Did this impermissible expansion of the scope of the federal child pornography statutes, in direct contravention of both the holdings of this Court an…
23A601 Shannon Donoho v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-01-02 Presumed Complete child-pornography federal-criminal-law photographic-evidence sentencing-guidelines sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation Whether surreptitiously recorded videos and images of minors in a bathroom depict those minors engaging in "sexually explicit conduct"—namely, the "la…
23-6297 Kevin Hewlett v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-12-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2251 cellphone-evidence child-pornography commerce-clause criminal-conduct criminal-law criminal-procedure interstate-commerce jury-instruction mens-rea 1) Whether the use of an internationally-manufactured cellphone in criminal conduct is, by itself, a sufficient nexus to interstate commerce to satisf…
23-625 Tel James Boam v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-12-11 Denied Amici (1) child-pornography circuit-split criminal-statute due-process lascivious-exhibition minor-protection sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation visual-depiction Does a defendant produce or possess a depiction involving the use of a minor engaging in "lascivious exhibition," and thus "sexually explicit conduct,…
23-6158 Derrick Hunt v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-12-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment child-pornography criminal-procedure evidence fourth-amendment motion-to-suppress probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant Did the District Court abuse its discretion in denying Defendant's Motion to Suppress the Search of his computer when the Police searched pursuant to …
23-5960 Brandon Keith Wright v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-11-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-law constitutional-limits criminal-law criminal-sanctions due-process federal-prosecution interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
23-5921 Vahe Sarkiss v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-10-31 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 4th-amendment child-pornography civil-rights due-process fourth-amendment interstate-commerce reasonable-suspicion search-and-seizure supervised-release 1. Whether Petitioner Vahe Sarkiss' Fourth Amendment rights were violated because there was no reasonable suspicion of a violation of supervised relea…
23-5859 Matthew Steven Hackney v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-10-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-interpretation criminal-law criminal-statute due-process federal-jurisdiction interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2251 and § 2252(a)(5)(B) authorize convictions upon proof that materials used to produce or possess child pornography once crossed…
23-5581 Matthew R. Osuba v. United States Second Circuit 2023-09-14 Denied IFP child-pornography criminal-law federal-statute lower-court-split minor minor-protection production sexual-exploitation sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation visual-depiction Section 2251(a) of Title 18 to the U.S. Code, known as the production of child pornography statute, makes it a crime punishable by at least fifteen ye…
23-219 Sherman Moore v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-09-08 Denied child-pornography circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-statute sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether, for purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(e), a state offense relates to the "sexual exploitation of children" only when it relates to child pornograp…
23-5519 Octavio Cortez Fierros v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-09-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-law child-pornography civil-procedure constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process first-amendment judicial-review legal-precedent sexual-exploitation standing statutory-interpretation Question not identified.
23A145 Mauricio Gonzalez v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-08-17 Presumed Complete child-pornography due-process inadmissible-evidence indictment-deficiency notice-requirement sentencing-enhancement Question not identified.
23-5265 Mark Alan Miller v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-08-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-law criminal-sanctions due-process federal-jurisdiction interstate-commerce standing statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
23-5191 Michael McShan v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-07-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2251 age-of-consent child-pornography consent-standard federal-law self-produced-images sexual-relationship state-law Whether the age of consent under state law is relevant to deciding whether a person produced child pornography under federal law by requesting self-pr…
23-5087 Michael R. v. Connecticut Connecticut 2023-07-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography civil-rights constitutional-interpretation dost-factors due-process first-amendment free-speech miller-standard obscenity obscenity-test 1. Should the six factor analysis set forth in United States v. Dost, 636 F. Supp. 828 (S.D. Cal. 1986), aff'd sub nom United States v. Weigand, 812 F…
22-7851 George Poulo v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-23 Denied IFP child-pornography civil-rights criminal-law criminal-statute due-process free-speech minor-exploitation sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation visual-depiction Section 2251(a) of Title 18 to the U.S. Code, known as the production of child pornography statute, makes it a crime punishable by at least fifteen ye…
22-7855 Edgar Dawson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-23 Denied IFP child-pornography civil-rights criminal-law criminal-statute due-process federal-criminal-law free-speech minor-exploitation sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation visual-depiction Section 2251(a) of Title 18 to the U.S. Code, known as the production of child pornography statute, makes it a crime punishable by at least fifteen ye…
22-7843 George John Maslovar v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-06-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography civil-procedure criminal-history paroline-v-united-states proximate-cause restitution statutory-interpretation victim-impact Whether a defendant's criminal history, the nature of images typically trafficked of a child pornography victim, or the amount of restitution collecte…
22-7818 Marshall M. Cohen v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-06-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2256 child-pornography circuit-split creator's-intent federal-criminal-law four-corners-of-image intent-context lascivious-exhibition statutory-interpretation Whether lasciviousness under 18 U.S.C. § 2256(2)(A)(v) may be found by examining the context in which the image was produced or the creator's intent, …
22-7751 David Paul Bickford v. Maryland Maryland 2023-06-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP charging-document child-photography child-pornography constitutional-law first-amendment new-york-v-ferber obscenity-standard parental-rights sexual-exploitation statutory-interpretation 1. If the First Amendment case of New York v Ferber, 458 US 747 (1982), describes the essential elements required for "all legislation in [the] sensit…
22-7678 Gary E. Peel v. United States Seventh Circuit 2023-06-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP actual-innocence child-pornography due-process ex-post-facto first-amendment ineffective-assistance-of-counsel takings-clause 1. Whether, contrary to Supreme Court precedent [Ashcroft v Free Speech Coalition, 535 U.S. 234 (2002)], the government can criminalize the possession…
22-7684 Christopher Darnell Douglas v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-06-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-law criminal-sanctions due-process federal-jurisdiction interstate-commerce standing statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
22-7332 In Re Michael Paul Martin 2023-04-20 Denied IFP child-pornography commerce-clause congressional-findings constitutional-authority due-process economic-impact fair-notice federal-criminal-offense gonzales-v-raich interstate-commerce 1. Under Title 18, U.S.C. § 2251(a), is there proper Fair Notice, as set forth by this Court in Fasulo v United States, 272 U.S. 620 (1926); that a cr…
22-985 Ferrell Walker v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-04-11 Denied Response Waived child-pornography double-jeopardy fifth-amendment revocation sentencing supervised-release 1. Whether the subsequent imposition of a sentence to a term of imprisonment of 168 months on a charge of possession of child pornography, to run cons…
22-7089 In Re William Hopmeier 2023-03-24 Denied IFP aggregate-effects-doctrine child-pornography congressional-findings constitutional-authority due-process economic-impact fair-notice gonzales-v-raich interstate-commerce 1. Under Title 18, U.S.C. § 2251(a), is there proper Fair Notice, as set forth by this Court in Fasulo v United States, 272 U.S. 620 (1926); that a cr…
22-7061 Lorenzo Elias Mendez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-03-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-statute first-amendment minor-exploitation sentencing-guidelines sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation 1. Whether the statutory term "lascivious exhibition " refers to the defendant 's act of exhibiting a minor 's genitals on film, or, in other words, t…
22-6847 Philip M. Close v. United States Second Circuit 2023-02-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-USC-2251 18-USC-2252A child-pornography circuit-split criminal-statute federal-law genital-exposure sentencing sexual-conduct sexually-explicit-conduct The question presented is whether Mr. Close's convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a), for producing child pornography, and 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B), …
22-6813 Joshua Glowacki v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-02-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process jury-determination jury-trial probable-cause restitution restitution-order search-warrant sentencing victim-rights After Petitioner pled guilty to a child pornography offense the district court awarded restitution of $10,000 to one victim, over Petitioner's objecti…
22-6762 Ryan Galal Van Dyck v. Arizona Arizona 2023-02-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment child-pornography cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment life-sentence mandatory-sentencing proportionality sentencing Does a mandatory de facto life sentence for mere possession of child pornography images, when the person has never directly abused or attempted to abu…
22-695 Jane Does No. 1–6, et al. v. Reddit, Inc. Ninth Circuit 2023-01-25 Denied Relisted (2) child-pornography civil-action civil-liability communications-decency-act internet-immunity sex-trafficking statutory-interpretation third-party-liability Whether the exception to CDA immunity contained in 47 U.S.C. § 230(e)(5)(A)—which states "Nothing in this section (other than subsection (c)(2)(A)) sh…
22-6006 Justin Richard Testani v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-11-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-history cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment mental-capacity sentencing sentencing-disparity 1. Whether a 720-month sentence violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual sentences when Mr. Testani never had physical contact w…
22-5991 Glenn Randall Ferguson v. United States Tenth Circuit 2022-11-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-4241 child-pornography competency criminal-competency criminal-procedure due-process evidence federal-courts mental-health rule-403 1. When a district court has found a criminal defendant to be incompetent pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 4241, and the defendant is then sent to a BOP facili…
22-233 Paul Chretien v. United States Third Circuit 2022-09-13 Denied Response Waived child-pornography fourth-amendment google-cloud probable-cause search-warrant stale-evidence staleness Whether the Fourth Amendment allows a finding of probable cause for a search warrant for child pornography in a private home based solely, and without…
22-5441 Felipe Mata-Benavidez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-08-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-law due-process federal-jurisdiction interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
21-7880 Robert Andrew Riley v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-05-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-law criminal-law due-process federal-jurisdiction 1. Because child pornography is not one of the federal crimes enumerated by the constitution, the trial court erred by failing to declare unconstituti…
21-7576 Edward Wright v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-04-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-scrutiny liberty-interests non-delegation-doctrine overbreadth plea-agreement supervised-release third-party-notification vagueness I. Currently, the Circuits are split as to whether the standard federal supervision condition requiring third-party risk notification is constitutiona…
21-7345 David Wayne Aring v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split due-process eighth-amendment first-time-offender judicial-discretion sentencing sentencing-guidelines supervised-release QUESTION ONE Whether in the exercise of its supervisory jurisdiction over the United States Courts, this Court should correct the correctable injustic…
21-7334 Gregory Todd Numann v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2255 certificate-of-appealability child-pornography criminal-procedure evidentiary-hearing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel password-protected-device plea-bargaining Whether the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit erred in denying Mr. Numann's motion for certificate of appealability of the denial of his 28 USC 2…
21-7259 Keith Prescott Gace v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-03-02 Denied IFP child-pornography circuit-split d-c-circuit dost-factors federal-criminal-law first-amendment judicial-precedent lascivious-exhibition seventh-circuit statutory-interpretation As a matter of statutory interpretation, should a jury or court consider the so-called Dost factors when determining whether a visual depiction of a m…
21-7156 Floyd Allen Hawkins v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-02-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause criminal-law due-process interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
21-7090 Larry O'Neal v. United States First Circuit 2022-02-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-rights custodial-interrogation customs-and-border-patrol federal-agents in-custody-interrogation law-enforcement-procedure miranda-rights miranda-warning ruse Did the Appellate Court err in finding Larry O'Neal, an officer with Custom and Boarder Patrol, was not in in-custody, for Miranda purposes, he was di…
21-6934 Donnie Barnes, Sr. v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-01-21 Denied IFP child-pornography circuit-split dost-factors federal-criminal-law lascivious-exhibition model-jury-instructions statutory-interpretation The question presented is whether an instruction on the Dost factors authorizes a conviction for production of child pornography on broader grounds th…
21-6790 Timothy Ryan v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-01-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-jurisdiction child-pornography civil-rights constitutional-violations discretionary-review due-process federal-procedure habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sentencing 1. DID THE SEVENTH CIRCUIT AND/OR DISTRICT OF INDIANA—SOUTH BEND DIVISION OF THE DISTRICT COURT ERR IN DENYING RYAN'S § 2255 HABEAS CORPUS PETITION WI…
21-6503 Pradeep Gupte v. University of Connecticut Second Circuit 2021-12-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review child-pornography civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-challenge criminal-procedure criminal-statute due-process federal-criminal-law federal-jurisdiction standing statutory-interpretation Question not identified.
21-6006 Cory Wayne Kilgore v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-10-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment address-connection appellate-review child-pornography criminal-procedure fourth-amendment prior-conviction probable-cause search-warrant Did the Tenth Circuit, on review of the denial of Petitioner's motion to suppress, err in holding that the search warrant affidavit provided adequate …
21-5748 Kyle Evan Peterson v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-09-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-procedure exclusionary-rule knowledge-element plea-bargaining plea-colloquy post-hoc-warrant united-states-v-x-citement-video 1. The Sixth and Ninth Circuits are split on whether, during a plea colloquy in a child pornography case, the district judge must explain to the defen…
21-5673 Timothy Brandon Fredrickson v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-09-15 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography consensual-transmission constitutional-law constitutional-overbreadth criminal-law due-process first-amendment free-speech image-production statutory-interpretation Whether Section 18 USC 2251(a) is overbroad in that it provides punishment for constitutionally protected activity in the inducement of consensual pro…
21-5631 Elton Vallare v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-09-09 Dismissed IFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-law federal-statute interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation unit-of-prosecution What is the unit of prosecution under § 2252A(a)(5)(B)?
21-5163 Gregory Scott Stephen v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-07-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure eighth-circuit fourth-amendment government-agent private-citizen search-and-seizure search-warrant sentencing-guidelines standing 1. Was the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit's conclusion that a private citizen can never be established as a government agent ab…
20-8109 Walter Crayton v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2021-05-24 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 4th-amendment assigned-counsel child-pornography civil-rights criminal-appeals criminal-procedure due-process free-speech legal-representation post-conviction search-and-seizure trial-court Question not identified.
20-1593 Devon E. Sanders v. United States Third Circuit 2021-05-18 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-law disaggregation double-jeopardy federal-sentencing paroline-v-united-states restitution sentencing statutory-interpretation 1. Petitioner pleaded guilty to two counts under federal statutes relating to possession of child pornography. One count charged knowing receipt of th…
20-8039 Matthew J. O'Neal v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-05-17 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography criminal-law eighth-amendment mandatory-minimum sentencing sentencing-enhancement sexual-abuse statutory-interpretation Whether the Sixth Circuit erred by expanding the scope of the "relating to" language in 18 U.S.C. §2252A(b)(2) to include conduct under a state statut…
20-7593 Fernando Clarke v. United States Second Circuit 2021-03-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2252 child-pornography criminal-law file-sharing government-action peer-to-peer peer-to-peer-network statutory-interpretation transportation-statute Fernando Clarke was charged with, inter alia, two counts of transporting child pornography. At trial, the government witnesses testified that Mr. Clar…
20-7460 Carlos Rodriguez Fernandez v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-03-16 Denied IFP child-pornography context-test due-process first-amendment four-corners-test jury-instruction lascivious-exhibition To comport with the First Amendment and Due Process in determining whether an image of a child acting innocently constitutes child pornography, must c…
20-1193 Christopher G. Lee v. United States Third Circuit 2021-03-01 Denied Response Waived 18-usc-chapter-110 child-pornography constitutional-rights criminal-statute due-process first-amendment image-cropping ineffective-assistance-of-counsel lascivious-exhibition minor-image sexually-explicit-conduct 1. Can innocent, concededly non-sexual conduct of a minor, depicted in an image, be retroactively converted into the "use or employment" of a minor to…
20-6948 Beau Brandon Croghan v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-01-26 Denied IFP 8th-circuit child-pornography criminal-intent criminal-law eighth-circuit evidence evidence-retention knowingly-receives mens-rea statutory-interpretation website-viewing Whether the Eighth Circuit erred by holding that a defendant knowingly receives child pornography by viewing it on a website, even without any evidenc…
20-6813 Manuel Diaz v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-01-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment 5th-amendment child-pornography circuit-split fourth-amendment probable-cause search-warrant warrantless-arrest Whether an officer has probable cause to obtain a search warrant or to make a warrantless arrest for the offense of possession of child pornography ba…
20-6734 John S. Mobasseri v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-12-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2259 child-pornography criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process restitution retroactive-application statutory-amendment Whether it violates due process to retroactively apply the 2018 amendments to 18 U.S.C. § 2259 to offense conduct occurring prior to the effective dat…
20-6671 Sarah Melisa Cox, aka Sarah Cox, aka Sarah Cunningham v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-12-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP print or publish the distribution of child pornog child-pornography circuit-split communication communication-standard criminal-law federal-criminal-law notice notice-requirement statutory-interpretation Whether a communication between just two individuals is sufficient contact to satisfy the requirement of giving notice to make, print or publish the d…
20-6496 Michael Alford v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-12-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process evidentiary-hearing expert-services expert-witness forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance-of-counsel legal-assistance motion-of-innocence pro-se-litigant right-to-counsel Wheth The Court erred in Refusing To Order legal assistance and forensic Software expert assist. To Obtain and Subrit factual evidence of The Microsof…
20-6359 Andrew Rey Ybaben v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-11-17 Denied IFP appellate-jurisdiction child-pornography discretionary-conditions due-process federal-criminal-law interstate-commerce sentencing statutory-interpretation supervised-release I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifie…
20-526 Jason M. Blackburn v. United States Armed Forces 2020-10-20 Denied Response Waived 4th-amendment child-pornography criminal-procedure digital-evidence fourth-amendment good-faith-exception military-justice probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant Whether the Court of Appeals erred in holding the good faith exception applied to the search and seizure of Petitioner's computer?
20-6057 David Lee Emmert, Jr. v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-10-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-defendants criminal-enhancement due-process equal-protection immigration liberty-interest sentencing-disparity sexual-abuse-minor statutory-interpretation As of right now, immigration cases use the Esquivel-Quintana standard exposure to statutory penalty for "any 1' prior felony of "sexual abuse of a min…
20-5951 Joshua Scott Richards v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-10-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing federal-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness u.s.-sentencing-commission u.s.s.g.-§-2g2.2 Whether a sentence imposed pursuant to the United States Sentencing Guidelines covering the crimes of accessing or possessing child pornography, U.S.S…
20-5833 Scott Francis Fortier v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-09-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2251 child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-vagueness mens-rea sexual-conduct sexually-explicit-conduct specific-intent vagueness-doctrine 1a. Does creating a visual depiction of sexual conduct of a minor need to be the dominan t or specific purpose; one of the dominant or specific purpo…
20-390 Brandan A. Mack v. Florida Florida 2020-09-25 Denied Response Waived child-pornography civil-rights criminal-offense criminal-procedure due-process felony-penalty juvenile-offender sex-offender-registration Where a state enacts long-term sex offender registration requirements which are enforced under threat of felony criminal offense, may the state subjec…
20-5772 Michael Portanova v. United States Third Circuit 2020-09-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach child-pornography circuit-split criminal-law federal-sentencing prior-conviction sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether the "categorical approach," which this Court has repeatedly held must be applied in assessing whether a prior state conviction qualifies as a …
20-5739 David Rothenberg v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-09-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-sentencing paroline-v-united-states physical-abuse restitution restitution-calculation statutory-interpretation victim-losses When calculating restitution for a possessor of child pornography, must the victim's losses caused by the initial physical abuse be disaggregated from…
20-5595 Joshua Glen Box v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-09-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-circuit categorical-approach child-pornography criminal-law eighth-circuit federal-criminal-law predicate-offense predicate-offenses sentencing statutory-interpretation Whether the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit erred when it failed to properly apply the categorical approach to determine whether Mr. Box's pri…
20-5560 Briand Daniel Fechner v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-09-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process eighth-circuit evidence evidentiary-rules propensity-evidence prosecutorial-misconduct search-and-seizure sixth-circuit (1) Whether the prosecution may introduce child pornography videos at trial that were not found on the defendant's devices, but found in an outside in…
20-133 Joseph Michael Diaz v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-08-07 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-appeal eleventh-circuit evidentiary-hearing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel notice-of-appeal relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines sexual-contact Whether the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals erred in holding that counsel was not ineffective assistance for failing to object to the application of…
20-5220 Gerald Lee Groomes v. Arkansas Arkansas 2020-07-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-nudity child-pornography constitutional-rights criminal-statute first-amendment lewd-exhibition overbreadth protected-expression protected-speech vagueness Does a state's unreasonable application of a criminal statute prohibiting the possession of images depicting a "lewd exhibition" of child nudity in a …
19-8645 Joe Cephus Ross v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-06-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography due-process mandatory-minimum prosecutorial-discretion sentencing separation-of-powers statutory-interpretation void-for-vagueness Does 18 U.S.C. § 2252A violate the Due Process Clause and the separation-of-powers doctrine because the statute allows a prosecutor to unilaterally se…
19-8605 Courtland Barnes v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-06-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-sentencing district-court federal-appeals federal-sentencing-guidelines fourth-circuit mitigating-evidence sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness Whether the district court's reliance on the child pornography guideline and the mitigating evidence Petitioner offered to the court require the vacat…
19-8559 Christopher Scott Jepsen v. United States Eighth Circuit 2020-05-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal appellate-review child-pornography criminal-law due-process federal-conviction prior-judgment sentencing sentencing-enhancement void-judgment Whether the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit erred by concluding that Mr. Jepsen was subject to an enhanced sentence for his fede…
19-1260 Andrew Demma v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-04-30 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) 18-usc-3553a appeals-court child-pornography circuit-split discretion gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion kimbrough-v-united-states policy-disagreement sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness (1) Whether the discretion recognized under Kimbrough v. United States for a district court to vary based on a policy disagreement applies to the chil…
19-7918 Patrick Harris v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3553a child-pornography criminal-sentencing district-court enhancement-factors excessive-sentence sentencing-discretion sentencing-enhancements sentencing-guidelines statutory-considerations I. DID THE DISTRICT COURT ERR WHEN IT FOUND ENHANCEMENT FACTORS LISTED IN U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(2), (b)(3), (b)(4), (b)(6) AND (b)(7)(D) APPROPRIATE IN …
19-7896 Nicholas Hughes v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-03-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-law due-process federal-statute mens-rea sexual-abuse sexual-exploitation statutory-interpretation Title 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) requires the government to prove that the defendant engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a minor "for the purpose of" p…
19-7865 Clifford Laverne Mecham, Jr. v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-03-04 Denied IFP 2nd-circuit 8th-circuit child-pornography circuit-split constitutional-law eighth-circuit first-amendment free-speech morphed-images second-circuit sexually-explicit-conduct Whether the First Amendment protects morphed child pornography created without any child's involvement in sexually explicit conduct, as the Eighth Cir…
19-1027 David Caswell v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-02-18 Denied Response Waived child-pornography computer-search federal-investigation fourth-amendment good-faith good-faith-exception jurisdiction magistrate-jurisdiction network-investigative-technique search-warrant I) Did the FBI act in good-faith when it indicated to a magistrate judge that property to be searched pursuant to a search warrant application was loc…
19-7622 Samuel Elliott v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-02-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP 8th-amendment appellate-review child-pornography criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing due-process federal-guidelines sentencing sentencing-guidelines substantive-reasonableness substantive-unreasonableness Whether a sentence imposed pursuant to the United States Sentencing Guidelines covering child pornography offenses, U.S.S.G. §S 2G2.1 and 2G2.2, is su…
19-7589 Michael M. Monzel v. United States District of Columbia 2020-02-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography circuit-split criminal-restitution paroline-factors proximate-cause restitution-methodology sentencing statutory-interpretation victim-compensation 1. Whether — in the context of a criminal restitution request on behalf of a victim of child pornography — § 2259/ Paroline requires disaggregation of…
19-7260 Darin Kaufmann v. United States Seventh Circuit 2020-01-13 Denied IFP 18-usc-2252 categorical-approach child-pornography federal-criminal-law first-amendment predicate-offense prior-conviction sentencing-enhancement state-law statutory-interpretation 1. Did the Seventh Circuit err in holding that the categorical approach does not apply when determining whether a state conviction triggers a sentenci…
19-860 Nikolai Bosyk v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-01-09 Denied Response Waived child-pornography circuit-split criminal-procedure fourth-amendment ip-address probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant Whether the single click of a URL link to child pornography by someone using an individual's IP address can provide probable cause to support a search…
19-7075 Matthew Rouse v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-12-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP age-of-consent child-pornography criminal-conduct first-amendment privacy sexual-conduct Whether the child pornography exception to the First Amendment, which is grounded in the long-standing exemption for speech integral to criminal condu…
19-6940 Kevin James Petroske v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-12-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2251 8th-circuit child-pornography circuit-split criminal-intent due-process minor-protection production-of-child-pornography sexual-conduct sexually-explicit-conduct statutory-interpretation video-voyeurism Whether mere video voyeurism – surreptitious videoing of unaware subjects without any posing or manipulation of the video images – of the innocent con…
19-6723 T. B. v. Colorado Colorado 2019-11-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography due-process first-amendment free-speech sexting sexual-exploitation teen-sexting teenager-rights This case involves teen "sexting" or, more specifically, the exchange of nude and partially nude "selfies" between consenting teenagers. Petitioner T.…
19-6676 Christopher G. Waguespack v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-11-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography computer-evidence computer-forensics confrontation-clause criminal-procedure cross-examination evidence law-enforcement sixth-amendment software-reliability I. Whether failing to call the law enforcement agent responsible for generating a computer report in the Government's case-in-chief implicates the Six…
19-6538 Levi Jermaine Griffin v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-11-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof child-pornography criminal-indictment criminal-knowledge criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process evidence jury-instructions mens-rea possession-of-child-pornography reasonable-doubt statutory-elements WHETHER THE EVIDENCE WAS INSUFFICIENT TO SATISFY THE GOVERNMENT'S BURDEN TO PROVE THE ELEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AS TO THE POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY C…
19-6187 Jon Kaiser v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-10-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP affiant-misconduct affidavit child-pornography civil-rights due-process fourth-amendment judicial-review lascivious-exhibition magistrate-judge probable-cause search-and-seizure search-warrant When an agent-affiant intentionally or recklessly omits the images of purported child pornography from a search warrant application in a case alleging…
19-428 Ryan Courtade v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-10-01 Denied 18-usc-2252 18-usc-2256 appellate-review child-pornography child-pornography-statute circuit-split due-process lascivious-exhibition standard-of-review statutory-interpretation subjective-intent 1. When reviewing a district court's conclusion that an image depicts a "lascivious exhibition" under 18 U.S.C. 2256(2)(A), must the appellate court r…
19-6100 Melvyn Perry Sprowson, Jr. v. Nevada Nevada 2019-10-01 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP ashcroft-v-free-speech-coalition child-pornography constitutional-limits facial-challenge first-amendment free-speech new-york-v-ferber obscenity obscenity-standards overbreadth sexual-abuse state-regulation Nevada defines "child pornography" to include any depiction of a minor that "appeals to a shameful or morbid interest in the sexuality of the minor an…
19-6027 Jordan Combs v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-09-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP 5th-amendment child-pornography constitutional-law constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process fifth-amendment possession sentencing WHETHER JORDAN COMBS' DUE PROCESS RIGHTS UNDER THE FIFTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION WERE VIOLATED WHEN THE DISTRICT COURT SENTENCED J…
19-5771 Eric Allen Haensgen v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-08-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2252a age-of-consent child-pornography constitutional-law criminal-law criminal-statute due-process first-amendment free-speech statutory-interpretation unconstitutional Whether amendments to the child pornography law set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2)(A) have rendered the current version of the statute unconstitutio…
19-5730 Lawrence Michael Lynde v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-08-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography civil-rights constitutional-law criminal-history criminal-procedure due-process federal-courts federal-sentencing sentencing-discretion sentencing-factors sentencing-guidelines sex-offender-treatment sixth-circuit-appeal standing statutory-interpretation victim-restitution Question not identified.
19-5701 Daniel Brian Masson v. Florida Florida 2019-08-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP 14th-amendment 5th-amendment appellate-review child-abuse child-pornography child-sexual-performance constitutional-rights due-process falsified-transcripts motion-to-suppress search-warrant Petitioner has been convicted of violating Florida Statute 827.071 (5) (a) (2016), which is classified as a child abuse offense involving child sexual…
19-5384 David Rothenberg v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-07-30 Denied IFP causal-process child-pornography circuit-split criminal-restitution disaggregation paroline-v-united-states victim-losses When calculating restitution for a mere possessor of child pornography, must the victim's losses caused by the initial abuse be disaggregated from the…
19-5248 Garry Randall West v. Jason Bryant, Warden Tenth Circuit 2019-07-22 Denied Relisted (2)IFP child-pornography double-jeopardy due-process fourth-amendment free-speech miranda-rights miranda-warnings right-to-privacy search-and-seizure suppression-of-evidence 1. IN RE: PORNGRAPHIC MATERIAL: PORN. PORNGRAPHIC PICTURES AND IMAGES: A) Can a pornographic conviction of Possession of Child Pornography stand where…
18-9411 Steven Douglas Rockett v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-05-24 Denied IFP beyond the objective meaning of those words misconstrued the plain language of the statute an child-pornography constitutional-overbreadth constitutional-vagueness definitional-overbreadth definitional-vagueness dost-factors due-process judicial-construction lascivious-exhibition ninth-circuit-precedent overbreadth statutory-construction statutory-interpretation vagueness Whether the judicial construction of "lascivious exhibition" of the genitals or pubic area of a minor in 18 U.S.C. § 2256(2)(A)(v) to include consider…
18-9379 Paul A. Light v. United States Second Circuit 2019-05-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-sentencing ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ineffective-counsel judicial-bias non-contact-offenders reasonableness recusal second-circuit sentencing-commission sentencing-guidelines I. Whether a sentence imposed pursuant to the child pornography Sentencing Guidelines, on a man whose crime was viewing pornography alone in his home,…
18-9305 Joshua Chapman-Sexton v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-05-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography exclusionary-rule fourth-amendment fourth-amendment-search-and-seizure inevitable-discovery probable-cause search-warrant warrantless-search Whether the inevitable discovery exception to the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule applies to a warrantless search of a flash drive finding child po…
18-8869 Jesse Davenport, aka Draco John Flama v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-04-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography confrontation-clause conspiracy criminal-procedure due-process jury-trial plain-error shackling sufficiency-of-evidence 1. Is shackling a defendant during his or her jury trial for no asserted or actual reason proper, and thus not even an "error" under the plain error t…
18-1254 Jeremiah L. King v. United States Armed Forces 2019-03-28 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-conviction criminal-procedure due-process evidentiary-facts fifth-amendment permissive-inference search-terms sufficiency-of-evidence Whether the Court of Appeals relied upon permissive inferences that violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment in finding Petitioner's con…
18-1248 Neil C. Kienast and Braman B. Broy v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-03-26 Denied Response Waived child-pornography circuit-split due-process exclusionary-rule fourth-amendment good-faith-exception law-enforcement privacy-interest probable-cause search-and-seizure suppression-doctrine suppression-of-evidence warrant warrant-validity This Court has applied the U.S. v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984) good faith exception in a variety of cases to include a knock and announce violation (Hud…
18-8470 Tommy Lee Jones v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-03-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process evidence evidence-admission fair-trial judicial-conduct sentencing Tommy Lee Jones was convicted of advertising, distribution, and receipt of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2251(d) and 2252A(a)(2), and h…
18-1202 Pedro Montalvo, Jr. v. Ohio Ohio 2019-03-15 Denied 6th-amendment child-pornography computer-age constitutional-rights criminal-procedure doyle-violation due-process massiah-doctrine obscenity right-to-defense scienter sixth-amendment strict-liability 1. Whether Ohio's imposition of strict liability for even inadvertent, accidental or unknowing dissemination of child pornography violates due process…
18-8364 James D. Sullivan v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure evidence-rule-414 evidentiary-hearing federal-rules-of-evidence grand-jury plea-agreement plea-withdrawal prosecutorial-discretion rule-104 rule-414 In a prosecution of a child pornography case under Title 18 U.S.C., Chapter 110, the government may seek to admit evidence of prior similar acts under…
18-8366 Anthony Eudean Woollis v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-sanctions due-process federal-criminal-law interstate-commerce plain-error-review statutory-interpretation sufficiency-of-evidence sullivan-v-louisiana I. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an unspecifi…
18-8224 Antonio Dickerson, aka Girbaud v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-03-01 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography constitutional-challenge fifth-amendment first-amendment mandatory-minimum mens-rea strict-liability In Elonis v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2001 (2015), this Court recently held that a federal criminal threats statute required a knowingly mens rea and…
18-8038 James Patrick Burke v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-02-20 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process exclusionary-rule fourth-amendment jurisdiction network-investigative-technique rule-41 rule-41(b) Should evidence be suppressed under the "exclusionary rule" when obtained from Network Investigative Tecnique (NIT) warrants that violated Rule 41(b) …
18-7896 Ricardo Montanez-Quinones v. United States First Circuit 2019-02-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography distribution evidence knowingly-distributed knowledge plea-agreement prosecutorial-discretion sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines What constitutes sufficient evidence of knowledge to support two level enhancement for "knowingly engaging in distribution" of child pornography under…
18-7196 Edward Allen McElroy v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-12-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process faretta-hearing faretta-v-california pro-se-representation self-representation sentencing supervised-release waiver-of-counsel Where a defendant is charged in federal court with possession and production of child pornography, the maximum punishment for which carries a lifetime…
18-7084 Anthony Steven Young v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-12-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion child-pornography close-scrutiny criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion internet-access relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review ussg-2g2.2 1. What standard of review applies to the district court's decision to use the guideline for receiving or distributing child pornography to sentence …
18-7007 Ronald T. Spoor v. United States Second Circuit 2018-12-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2256 child-pornography civil-rights due-process equal-protection lascivious-exhibition racial-discrimination rule-414 school-desegregation sexual-proclivities standing uncharged-crimes 1. Must a video be considered in its totality, as opposed to a brief isolated snippet, in determining whether it is a "lascivious exhibition of the ge…
18-7005 Denis Aviles Salguero v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-12-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review child-pornography constitutional-law criminal-law criminal-procedure double-jeopardy fifth-amendment sentencing Whether Petitioner's convictions for receipt and possession of child pornography violated the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
18-6900 Jacob Scott Watters v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-limits criminal-law predicate-offense relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation unconstitutional-law visual-depictions As written, and by the actual language used in the Statute, is 18 U.S.C. §2251(a) in excess of Congress' Powers under the Commerce Clause to. regulate…
18-6939 Jonathan S. Nelson v. Joe Norwood, Secretary, Kansas Department of Corrections, et al. Tenth Circuit 2018-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography conviction-reversal de-novo-review due-process first-amendment obscenity scienter Concerning a violation of KSA 21-3516a(2), given that the images' nature was reasonably disputed, does the right to a de novo review demand the revers…
18-6758 Michael Bordman v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-11-20 Denied IFP child-pornography constitutional-vagueness continued-dissemination due-process harm-disaggregation initial-abuse restitution sentencing supervised-release (1) Whether the restitution award in child pornography sentencings must disaggregate the harm caused by the initial abuse from the harm caused by the …
18-6734 Henry Franklin Reddick v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-11-19 Denied IFP 4th-amendment child-pornography civil-rights digital-privacy digital-search fourth-amendment hash-value private-search private-search-doctrine search-and-seizure warrant-requirement I. Does a police officer violate the Fourth Amendment by opening a digital file and viewing an image in it without a warrant to confirm a private comp…
18-522 Michael Ishee v. Mississippi Mississippi 2018-10-19 Denied Response Waived child-pornography civil-rights due-process ex-post-facto first-amendment free-speech freedom-of-speech mens-rea scienter separation-of-powers void-ab-initio Governmental regulation of First Amendment rights, particularly freedom of speech and expression, draws close constitutional scrutiny since these righ…
18-6215 Leonard Nathaniel Peragine, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion child-enticement child-pornography congressional-intent criminal-sentencing empirical-evidence guideline-calculation sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the district court's utilization of the child pornography guideline in Section 2G2.2 to determine the sentence for a defendant whose primary o…
18-6150 Noel Aquino-Florenciani v. United States First Circuit 2018-10-01 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP abuse-of-discretion child-pornography criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process internet-access internet-access-ban sentencing sentencing-guidelines supervised-release Whether the court's imposition of a total ban of internet access as a condition of supervised release is an overly broad and restrictive and without a…
18-6049 Robert Wallace Smith v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-09-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-sentencing due-process first-offender internet-crime sentencing-guidelines statutory-maximum substantive-reasonableness Whether the district court's statutory maximum, 240-month sentence is substantively unreasonable for a first offender convicted of one count of receiv…
18-6006 Gerson Gonzalez Tovar v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-09-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography constitutional-limits criminal-law criminal-sanctions criminal-statute due-process interstate-commerce plain-error plain-error-review statutory-interpretation sufficiency-of-evidence sullivan-v-louisiana I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2251 authorizes conviction upon proof that materia ls used to produce child pornog raphy once crosse d state lines at an unspeci…
18-5893 Dan Wayne Streetman v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-09-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP booker-precedent booker-v-united-states child-pornography gall-v-united-states judicial-discretion kimbrough-v-united-states policy-disagreement sentencing-commission sentencing-discretion sentencing-guidelines sentencing-uniformity separation-of-powers 1. In the post-Booker world of non-mandatory guidelines, is it an abuse of discretion to refuse to reject a guideline on policy grounds where the guid…
18-5304 Raymond Sanchez Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-07-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-limits criminal-law criminal-sanctions due-process interstate-commerce plain-error-review statutory-interpretation sufficiency-of-evidence sullivan-v-louisiana I. Whether 18 U.S.C. §2252A(5)(B) authorizes conviction upon proof that materials used to produce child pornography once crossed state lines at an uns…
18-5153 Arthur Wayne Kniffley v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-07-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP ball-v-united-states blockburger-test child-pornography criminal-conviction double-jeopardy double-jeopardy,child-pornography,fifth-amendment, double-jeopardy,fifth-amendment,child-pornography, fifth-amendment mandatory-life-sentence mandatory-sentencing sentencing-discretion I. Whether a conviction for producing child pornography violates the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment because the defendant was previousl…
18-5038 Neil Sweeney v. United States First Circuit 2018-06-29 Denied IFP administrative-law child-pornography circuit-court-split civil-procedure due-process equal-protection federal-rules-of-evidence-403 federal-rules-of-evidence-414 standing statutory-interpretation Whether this Honorable Court should resolve the differing applications of the Circuit Courts as it applies to the use of Federal Rule of Evidence 414 …