Hayes v. United States
Petition for certiorari denied on March 2, 2020
Issues: (1) Whether a post-2002 conviction for sale of cocaine or possession of cocaine with intent to sell in violation of Fla. Stat. § 893.13 is a “serious drug offense” as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(A)(ii) if, according to the Florida legislature, the state need not prove that the defendant “knew the illicit nature of the substance” he sold or possessed with intent to sell; (2) whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit erred in denying petitioner a certificate of appealability because the issue above is debatable among reasonable jurists.