Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40559/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40559-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Reynaldo Hinojosa-Aguirre
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined

that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent

except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.

R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

FILED

April 21, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-40559

Conference Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

REYNALDO HINOJOSA-AGUIRRE,

Defendant-Appellant.

--------------------

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. L-02-CR-1700-1

--------------------

Before JOLLY, JONES, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Reynaldo Hinojosa-Aguirre appeals his guilty plea conviction

for possession with intent to distribute 3,4-Methylenedioxy

Methamphetmine. Hinojosa-Aguirre argues that 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)

and (b) were rendered facially unconstitutional by Apprendi v.

New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 490 (2000). Hinojosa-Aguirre concedes

that his argument is foreclosed by our opinion in United States

v. Slaughter, 238 F.3d 580, 581-82 (5th Cir. 2000), which

rejected a broad Apprendi-based attack on the constitutionality

 Case: 03-40559 Document: 0051268464 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/21/2004
No. 03-40559

-2-

of that statute. He raises the issue only to preserve it for

Supreme Court review. A panel of this court cannot overrule a

prior panel’s decision in the absence of an intervening contrary

or superseding decision by this court sitting en banc or by the

United States Supreme Court. Burge v. Parish of St. Tammany, 187

F.3d 452, 466 (5th Cir. 1999). No such decision overruling

Slaughter exists. Accordingly, Hinojosa-Aguirre’s argument is

foreclosed.

AFFIRMED. 

 Case: 03-40559 Document: 0051268464 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/21/2004