Latest Case: United States v. Chatman (Constitutional Law)

Obey the Law

LESLIE C. GRIFFIN

In light of a case currently on the U.S. Supreme Court’s docket for this term, UNLV Boyd School of Law professor Leslie C. Griffin explains the importance of requiring employers and others to obey generally applicable laws not targeting specific religious practices—the result of the Court’s holding in Employment Division v. Smith. Griffin argues that it is hard to imagine a peaceful United States if organizations had a constitutional or statutory right to discriminate against all types of people.

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United States v. Chatman

Docket: 19-5038

Opinion Date: March 16, 2020

Judge: Paul Joseph Kelly, Jr.

Areas of Law: Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

Petitioner-Appellant John Chatman, Jr. was convicted by a jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition (Count One), obstruction of justice by attempting to kill a witness (Count Two), and using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (Count 3). He was sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release. On appeal, he challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting Count Two arguing that the government failed to provide sufficient evidence in accordance with Fowler v. United States, 563 U.S. 668 (2011). Under Fowler, “the [g]overnment must prove (1) a killing or attempted killing, (2) committed with a particular intent, namely, an intent (a) to 'prevent’ a 'communication’ (b) about 'the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense’ (c) to a federal 'law enforcement officer or judge.’” Under the facts of this case, the Tenth Circuit determined the statute (quoted in Fowler) did not fit the crime. The Court remanded this case to the district court to vacate and dismiss Chatman’s convictions under both Counts Two and Three and resentence him under Count One alone.