Opinion ID: 170966
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Preponderance-of-the-Evidence Standard

Text: Because of its potential impact on the other sentencing issues raised on appeal, we first address Ms. Tyler's contention that the district court's use of the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard in determining the appropriate Guidelines range violated her Sixth Amendment rights. She relies on United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005), and Cunningham v. California, 549 U.S. 270, 127 S.Ct. 856, 166 L.Ed.2d 856 (2007), which held that contested factual predicates for increasing a sentencing range under mandatory guidelines must be found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. We have held, however, that these holdings do not apply to advisory guidelines, such as the federal Sentencing Guidelines. See United States v. Rodriguez-Felix, 450 F.3d 1117, 1130 (10th Cir.2006) (even after Booker, district court calculating Guidelines sentencing range may continue to find facts by a preponderance of the evidence because court applies such facts in a discretionary manner); United States v. Ellis, 525 F.3d 960, 965 (10th Cir.2008) (distinguishing Cunningham on the ground that it concerned a mandatory, rather than an advisory, sentencing scheme). We therefore reject this contention. Accordingly, our standard of appellate review is the same as before Booker. We review factual findings for clear error, reversing only if a finding is wholly without factual support in the record, or after reviewing the evidence, we are definitively and firmly convinced that a mistake has been made. Rodriguez-Felix, 450 F.3d at 1130. We review de novo any claims of legal error. Ellis, 525 F.3d at 964. We address the remaining challenges below and reject them all.