Supreme Court grants cert. in 4 criminal cases
The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari today in six cases, four of which concern criminal law matters. Scotusblog provides links to the opinions below, petitions for certiorari and briefs in opposition.
Munaf v. Geren - Whether federal courts have jurisdiction to consider a habeas petition of a U.S. citizen detained by U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq pending a transfer to Iraqi authorities following a conviction in an Iraqi criminal court.
Indiana v. Edwards - Whether the Sixth Amendment grants a defendant found competent to stand trial the right to represent himself in a criminal proceeding.
United States v. Ressam - Whether 18 U.S.C. 1844(h)(2), which mandates 10 years in prison for carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony, requires the explosives to be carried "in relation to" the underlying felony.
Burgess v. U.S. - 1. Whether the term "felony drug offense" as used in federal statute requiring imposition of enhanced mandatory minimum 20 years' imprisonment when drug offender has "prior conviction for a felony drug offense" must be read in pari materia with federal statutes defining both "felony" and "felony drug offense," so as to require imposition of minimum 20-year sentence only if prior drug conviction as both punishable by more than one year in prison and characterized as a felony by controlling law.
2. When the court finds that a criminal statute is ambiguous, must it then turn to rule of lenity to resolve ambiguity?