Nicholas Dwayne Jones v. United States

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT NICHOLAS DWAYNE JONES, Petitioner vs. No. 25-2279 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI Comes now, NICHOLAS DWAYNE JONES, and hereby petitions this Honorable Court for a Writ of Certiorari. In support of his petition, Mr, Jones hereby presents the following: QUESTIONS PRESENTED

1. Whether a criminal defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confrontation may be waived through a stipulation executed by counsel where the trial court failes to conduct any personal colloquy to ensure that the defendant knowingly and voluntarily agreed to waive that right, in violation of Brookhart v. Janis, 384 U.S. 1. (1966).

2. Whether the admission of extensive, detailed testimony describing a decadeold prior drug conviction under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) including investigative narrative and source-of-supply testimony violates the Due Process Clause where its prejudicial effect substantially outweighs any probative value and the trial court fails to meaningfully limit the evidence under Rule 403.

3. Whether a defendant is denied the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of appellate counsel, and meaningful appellate review, where counsel misidentifies the relevant portions of the trial record, omits the most prejudicial evidence from review, and thereby prevents the appellate court from adjudicating a preserved constitutional claim. [-RECEIVED-! I JAN 2 9 2026 j