Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Philip Alejandro Powers, III v. United States
IFP petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 23-2218 · judgment February 24, 2025
Certiorari denied · October 20, 2025
Question presented
Should a person who is compelled to commit a criminal act in order to avert a greater evil be denied the protection of the necessity defense if he could have committed the criminal act in a “safer” manner?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Daniel Lee Kaplan
Office of the Federal Public Defender
For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General
Case
Subject area
Criminal Procedure (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Order
Order list, October 20, 2025 · Certiorari denied
Proceedings
- Oct 20 2025Petition DENIED.
- Oct 02 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/17/2025.
- Sep 30 2025Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
- Sep 18 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due October 23, 2025)