Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Samuel Lee Jones, aka Samuel Lee Tyson v. United States
IFP petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, No. 24-13220 · judgment May 4, 2026
Question presented
ISSUE 1 Whether the Confrontation Clause permits a surrogate expert witness, acting solely as a "technical reviewer" who did not participate in the underlying forensic testing, to testify to an absent analyst's forensic findings and conclusions as the basis for his opinion. ISSUE 2 Whether a jurisdictional element satisfied by a de minimis connection to interstate commerce, such as 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)’s requirement that a prohibited person possess a firearm “in or affecting commerce,” is sufficient to bring a purely local, non-economic criminal offense within Congress’ powers under the Commerce Clause.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Margaret Yvonne Foldes
Federal Public Defender's Office
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
—
Linked docket
26A84
Proceedings
- Oct 05 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including November 4, 2026.
- Oct 02 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 5, 2026 to November 4, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Sep 01 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due October 5, 2026)
- Jul 17 2026Application (26A84) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until September 1, 2026.
- Jul 13 2026Application (26A84) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 2, 2026 to September 1, 2026, submitted to Justice Thomas.