Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40917/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40917-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Esteban Marquez-Conde
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that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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. 03-40917

Conference Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

ESTEBAN MARQUEZ-CONDE,

Defendant-Appellant.

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

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. B-03-CR-225-1

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

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

PER CURIAM:*

Esteban Marquez-Conde appeals the sentence imposed following

his guilty-plea conviction for being found in the United States

after deportation in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. Marquez-Conde

argues pursuant to Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000),

that the “felony” and “aggravated felony” provisions of 8 U.S.C.

§ 1326(b)(1) and (2) are elements of the offense, not sentence

enhancements, making those provisions unconstitutional. MarquezConde concedes that this argument is foreclosed by

 Case: 03-40917 Document: 0051101441 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/18/2004
No. 03-40917

-2-

Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 235 (1998), and

he raises it for possible review by the Supreme Court.

Marquez-Conde’s Apprendi argument is foreclosed by

Almendarez-Torres, 523 U.S. at 235. We must follow the precedent

set in Almendarez-Torres “unless and until the Supreme Court

itself determines to overrule it.” United States v. Dabeit, 231

F.3d 979, 984 (5th Cir. 2000) (internal quotation and citation

omitted). 

AFFIRMED.

 Case: 03-40917 Document: 0051101441 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/18/2004