Opinion ID: 3001741
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nekeya Patton

Text: Patton has not responded to her lawyer’s Anders submission. See CIR. R. 51(b). Our review is limited to the two potential issues identified in counselʹs supporting brief. See United States v. Schuh, 289 F.3d 968, 973‐74 (7th Cir. 2002). And we skip right to counsel’s analysis of the second issue, whether Patton could make any nonfrivolous challenge to her sentence, because that analysis is not correct. Patton’s lawyer argues that a challenge based on substantive reasonableness would be frivolous, but she fails to address any argument regarding the crack‐powder ratio. Even though the district court gave Patton the benefit of the amended § 2D1.1 three months before it took effect, the court could not have known of the greater discretion to sentence below the guidelines that follows from Kimbrough. In light of that case and our cases applying it, see Bush, 523 F.3d 727; Padilla, 2008 WL 833994; United Nos. 07‐2875 & 07‐3017 Page 5 States v. Taylor, No. 06‐4123, 2008 WL 782739 (7th Cir. Mar. 26, 2008), we cannot agree with counsel that an appellate argument challenging Patton’s sentence would be frivolous. Accordingly, we DENY counsel’s motion to withdraw and direct counsel to file a brief on the merits addressing this issue and any others she deems appropriate. We do, however, invite the parties to file a joint motion for remand, should they deem that appropriate. Briefing will proceed as follows: 1. The brief and required short appendix of the appellant are due by July 3, 2008. 2. The brief of the appellee is due by August 4, 2008. 3. The reply brief of the appellant, if any, is due by August 8, 2008. Note: Circuit Rule 31(e) (amended Dec. 1, 2001) requires that counsel tender a digital copy of a brief, from cover to conclusion, at the time the paper copies are tendered for filing. The file must be a text based PDF (portable document format), which contains the entire brief from cover to conclusion. Graphic based scanned PDF images do not comply with this rule and will not be accepted by the clerk. Rule 26(c), Fed. R. App. P., which allows three additional days after service by mail, does not apply when the due dates for briefs are specifically set by order of this court. All briefs are due by the dates ordered. Important Scheduling Notice ! Notices of hearing for particular appeals are mailed shortly before the date of oral argument. Criminal appeals are scheduled shortly after the filing of the appellantʹs main brief; civil appeals after the filing of the appelleeʹs brief. If you foresee that you will be unavailable during a period in which your particular appeal might be scheduled, please write the clerk advising him of the time period and the reason for such unavailability. Session data is located at http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/cal/calendar.pdf. Once an appeal is formally scheduled for a certain date, it is very difficult to have the setting changed. See Circuit Rule 34(e).