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Robert Leigh Stoltz v. Virginia

Paid petition · Supreme Court of Virginia, No. 181033 · judgment August 1, 2019

Certiorari denied · December 9, 2019

Pre-decision estimate: 5% cert probability

Before the decision, roughly the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a circuit split argued in the petition, counsel who has filed here before, and a petition filed soon after the judgment below, and down for a state or local-government respondent.

Question presented

Is due process violated where the judge instructs the jury such that even if the jury finds that the defendant knew the alleged victim (an undercover police officer) was not underaged, they still must convict him if there was any "reason to believe" that the victim was under the legal age?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Jonathan P. Sheldon
Sheldon & Flood, PLC

For respondent
Toby Jay Heytens
Office of the Attorney General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Order
Order list, December 9, 2019 · Certiorari denied

Proceedings

Dec 09 2019
Petition DENIED.
Nov 13 2019
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/6/2019.
Nov 05 2019
Waiver of right of respondent Commonwealth of Virginia to respond filed.
Oct 30 2019
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 4, 2019)