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Timothy I. Carpenter v. United States

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 22-1198 · judgment May 2, 2023


Certiorari denied · February 20, 2024
Pre-decision estimate: 14% cert probability (95% interval 10%–21%)

Before the decision, about 3.5× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for counsel who has won certiorari before, a circuit split argued in the petition, and a dissent in the court below (flagged in the petition).

Question presented

Two provisions of the First Step Act (Sections 401 and 403) significantly reduce mandatory minimum sentences for certain federal firearm and drug offenses. First Step Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-391, §§ 401, 403, 132 Stat. 5194, 5220-22 (FSA). These reduced minimums apply to all offenses committed after December 21, 2018, the Act’s date of enactment. As relevant here, they also apply to “any offense that was committed before the date of enactment of this Act, if a sentence for the offense has not been imposed as of such date of enactment.” FSA §§ 401(c), 403(b). The question presented here is: Do the sentencing reforms in Section 403 of the First Step Act apply when a district court sentences an individual whose offense was committed before the Act’s effective date but whose initial sentence was vacated afterwards?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Jeffrey L. Fisher
Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic

For respondent
Elizabeth B. Prelogar
Solicitor General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Amicus briefs
2 cert-stage

Proceedings

  1. Feb 20 2024
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Feb 02 2024
    Letter from counsel for petitioner calling the Court's attention to a recent Fifth Circuit decision filed.(Distributed)
  3. Jan 31 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/16/2024.
  4. Jan 31 2024
    Reply of petitioner Timothy Carpenter filed. (Distributed)
  5. Jan 26 2024
    Letter from the Solicitor General filed.
  6. Jan 17 2024
    Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed.
  7. Dec 18 2023
    Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union, et al. filed.
  8. Dec 18 2023
    Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed.
  9. Dec 13 2023
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including January 17, 2024.
  10. Dec 12 2023
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 18, 2023 to January 17, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
  11. Nov 15 2023
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 18, 2023)