Dominic Miller v. United States

Whether Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1(b)(2)(E) requires a district court to personally invite a defendant to allocute before imposing a sentence following revocation of supervised release, such that complete denial of that opportunity constitutes plain error warranting resentencing. TABLE OF CONTENTS QUESTION PRESENTED................................................................................................ ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ............................................................................................iii PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI ..................................................................... 1 OPINIONS BELOW ......................................................................................................... 1 JURISDICTION ................................................................................................................. 1 STATUTORY PROVISIONS AND RULES INVOLVED ............................................ 2 STATEMENT OF THE CASE ......................................................................................... 3 REASONS FOR GRANTING THE PETITION............................................................. 6 I. The Courts of Appeals Are Intractably Divided 5-3 on Whether Rule 32.1 Requires a Personal Invitation to Allocute ................................................................ 7 II. The Question Presented Is a Recurring Issue of National Importance Affecting Thousands of Federal Revocation Proceedings Annually................... 15 III. The Decision Below Conflicts with This Court’s Recognition of the Common-Law Right of Allocution in Green v. United States ................................ 17 IV. This Case Is an Ideal Vehicle to Resolve the Split ............................................ 20 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................ 21