Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Nautica Blu Hamilton v. United States
IFP petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, No. 25-10434 · judgment March 17, 2026
Questions presented
At Petitioner’s sentencing hearing, the prosecutor successfully advocated for the statutory maximum sentence—30 years’ imprisonment—because Petitioner was a “young woman” when she committed the crime, and “to prevent” Petitioner “from being able to have her own children.”
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Does a prosecutor commit structural error by advocating a harsher sentence because the defendant is a young woman who would otherwise be capable of bearing children?
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If not, what quantum of proof is sufficient to show that the error affected the defendant’s substantial rights? (i)
Counsel of record
For petitioner
James Matthew Wright
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
Proceedings
- Oct 13 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including November 20, 2026.
- Oct 09 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 13, 2026 to November 20, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Sep 10 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including October 13, 2026.
- Sep 09 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from September 10, 2026 to October 13, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Aug 11 2026Response Requested. (Due September 10, 2026)
- Jul 16 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
- Jul 08 2026Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
- Jun 15 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due July 23, 2026)