On May 16, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the conviction of our client Coy Jones.  Following a trial in December 2017, Mr. Jones had been convicted on firearm and drug charges and was sentenced to 318 months in jail.  On appeal, which SDM lawyers handled pro bono, the Fifth Circuit held that Mr. Jones’s constitutional rights were violated when a law enforcement agent testified at trial to statements made by a confidential informant implicating Mr. Jones in the alleged crime.  That confidential informant did not testify at trial.  The court found that the error was not harmless, vacated the conviction on all counts, and remanded the case back to the district court for a new trial.

SDM Lawyers Santosh Aravind, David Shank and Willie Cochran handled the appeal, with David Shank arguing the appeal to the Fifth Circuit.   

Copies of the SDM briefs can be found here and here.  A recording of the oral argument can be found here.  A copy of the Fifth Circuit opinion can be found here.