Supreme Court to hear criminal sentencing case

Tuesday, October 9, 2007  

A Navajo man whose sentence was more than tripled under a federal law will have his day before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Larry Begay pleaded guilty to threatening two female family members with a gun. He would have received about four years in prison for his crime.

But under the Armed Career Criminal Act, his sentence was boosted to a minimum of 15 years due to his prior drunken driving convictions. He was considered a violent felon.

Begay now argues that drunk driving doesn't meet the definition of a "violent felony" under the law and the Supreme Court has agreed to settle the issue. Oral arguments have not been set.

Get the Story:
High Court to Hear DWI Felony Case (The Albuquerque Journal 10/9)

Relevant Links:
Supreme Court - http://www.supremecourtus.gov
NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project - http://doc.narf.org/sc/index.html
SCOTUS Blog - http://www.scotusblog.com

Related Stories:
High court rejects three tribal cases (10/2)
Supreme Court set for new term in October (9/26)