Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40688/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40688-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Julio Cesar Garcia-Reyes
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that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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

F I L E D

February 18, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-40688

Conference Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

JULIO CESAR GARCIA-REYES,

Defendant-Appellant.

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

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. L-03-CR-48-ALL 

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

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, EMILIO M. GARZA, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Julio Cesar Garcia-Reyes appeals his guilty plea conviction

for possession of more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. GarciaReyes argues that 21 U.S.C. § 841 was rendered facially

unconstitutional by Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 490

(2000). Garcia-Reyes 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

 Case: 03-40688 Document: 0051556448 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/18/2004
No. 03-40688

-2-

the constitutionality 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, Garcia-Reyes’s argument is indeed foreclosed. The

judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

The Government has moved for a summary affirmance in lieu of

filing an appellee’s brief. In its motion, the Government asks

that an appellee’s brief not be required. The motion is GRANTED. 

AFFIRMED; MOTION GRANTED. 

 Case: 03-40688 Document: 0051556448 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/18/2004