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Fifth Circuit Mostly Affirms in Controversial Border Agents Case

By Douglas A. Berman

As previewed in this post, a Fifth Circuit panel today decided the appeals of U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, who were sentenced to prison terms of 11 and 12 years, respectively, for shooting an illegal alien drug smuggler.  While the Court's ruling (found here) vacates the agents? convictions on five counts relating to obstruction of justice, it leaves untouched their mandatory 10-year terms for using a gun in relation to the commission of a crime of violence.  The Court's roadmap is excerpted here:                          On appeal, we will address some of the errors, legal and evidentiary, alleged to have been committed by the trial court...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on July 28, 2008 (boomark / email).