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John Todd Williams v. United States

IFP petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 24-2561 · judgment February 21, 2025


Certiorari denied · October 6, 2025

Questions presented

  1. Whether a federal judge who is not properly designated under 28 U.S.C. §§ 291-296 may lawfully preside over a criminal case and its post-conviction proceedings, thereby violating Article III and due process guarantees.

  2. Whether a final judgment issued in a proceeding overseen by a judge lacking lawful authority is void under Rule 60(b)(4), and whether a court’s refusal to correct such error violates due process.

  3. Whether the Second Circuit’s summary affirmance of a constitutionally defective judgment without addressing the jurisdictional designation issue violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of meaningful appellate review.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
John Todd Williams

For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Oct 06 2025
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Sep 11 2025
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
  3. Sep 05 2025
    Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
  4. Jul 03 2025
    Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due September 22, 2025)