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Sutherland v. United States

Petition for certiorari denied on February 24, 2020

Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
19-433 4th Cir. N/A N/A N/A N/A OT 2019

Issue: (1) Whether, when a defendant makes false statements to a United States Attorney"s Office in an effort to persuade that office to decline prosecution, the objective institutional relationship of that office with the grand jury satisfies the "nexus" required for obstruction or attempted obstruction of a grand jury proceeding under 18 U.S.C. " 1512(c)(2), regardless of whether the defendant subjectively knew, understood or believed the false documents would be given to the grand jury; and (2) whether, when a prosecutor commits misconduct in summation by misstating evidence relevant to an essential element of the offense, but the defendant fails to object, the fact that the district court provided the jury a standard instruction that "arguments are not evidence" necessarily precludes reversal on appeal for plain error based on the prosecutor"s misconduct.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
08/05/2019Application (19A144) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 15, 2019 to September 30, 2019, submitted to The Chief Justice.
08/07/2019Application (19A144) granted by The Chief Justice extending the time to file until September 30, 2019.
09/30/2019Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 1, 2019)
10/22/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response from November 1, 2019 to December 2, 2019, submitted to The Clerk.
10/23/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including December 2, 2019.
11/22/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 2, 2019 to January 2, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.
11/25/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including January 2, 2020.
01/02/2020Brief of respondent United States of America in opposition filed.
01/21/2020Reply of petitioner Patrick Emanuel Sutherland filed.
01/22/2020DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/21/2020.
02/24/2020Petition DENIED.