Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
James Darrick Beeler v. United States
IFP petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, No. 24-3307 · judgment March 6, 2026
Question presented
18 U.S.C. § 2252A(b)(2) imposes an enhanced sentence on any defendant who has a prior conviction “relating to . . . the production, possession, receipt, mailing, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of child pornography[.]” “Child pornography” is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2256(8). The question presented, on which the circuits are divided, is whether the sentencing enhancement in 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(b)(2) is triggered by a prior conviction which sweeps more broadly than the federal definition of child pornography.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Tara Crane
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
Distributed for 1 conference
Linked docket
26A27
Proceedings
- Oct 08 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/6/2026.
- Sep 30 2026Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
- Sep 11 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due October 21, 2026)
- Jul 07 2026Application (26A27) granted by Justice Kavanaugh extending the time to file until September 11, 2026.
- Jun 29 2026Application (26A27) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from July 13, 2026 to September 11, 2026, submitted to Justice Kavanaugh.