Opinion ID: 6341486
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Discretion to correct error

Text: There is “no precise formula” for this court’s exercise of its discretion to correct a plain error. United States v. Andaverde-Tinoco, 741 F.3d 509, 524 (5th Cir. 2013). However, the fourth prong “is not automatically satisfied once the other three prongs are met.” United States v. Kirkland, 851 F.3d 499, 505 (5th Cir. 2017). “[T]he burden is on the defendant to demonstrate that the error affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation 7 Case: 21-50206 Document: 00516321453 Page: 8 Date Filed: 05/17/2022 No. 21-50206 of judicial proceedings.” Andaverde-Tinoco, 741 F.3d at 523. “In the ordinary case . . . the failure to correct a plain Guidelines error that affects a defendant’s substantial rights will seriously affect the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of judicial proceedings.” Rosales-Mireles v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 1897, 1911 (2018); see also United States v. Urbina-Fuentes, 900 F.3d 687, 698 (5th Cir. 2018). The Government originally agreed with Stoglin’s assertion that the error affected the fairness and integrity of judicial proceedings, given its motion to remand the case for resentencing. However, in its brief before this court, the Government argues that this court need not exercise its discretion because the state indictment and plea agreement reflect that Stoglin admitted to acting knowingly and intentionally rather than recklessly. According to the Government, leaving in place the 120-month sentence will not undermine the fairness of the judicial proceedings, as the sentence was appropriate for Stoglin’s conduct. See Arreola-Mendoza, 2021 WL 5513985, at . By contrast, Stoglin asserts that the underlying facts of his prior conviction and other 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors, though relevant for sentencing purposes, should not be the basis for determining whether this court should exercise its discretion. In Rosales-Mireles, the Supreme Court held that this circuit’s application of the fourth prong of the plain error standard was incorrect in that case and that the miscalculation of the defendant’s criminal history category constituted reversible plain error. 138 S. Ct. at 1906-11. The dissent looked to the severity of Rosales-Mireles’s criminal history, noting his “penchant for entering this country illegally and committing violent crimes—especially against women.” Id. at 1915 (Thomas, J., dissenting). In addition, the dissent suggested that there was no need to correct the error because the sentence imposed fell within the correct guidelines range as well as the incorrect range, indicating a lower likelihood that the error affected the 8 Case: 21-50206 Document: 00516321453 Page: 9 Date Filed: 05/17/2022 No. 21-50206 integrity of judicial proceedings. Id. at 1916 (Thomas, J., dissenting). The majority opinion rejected these analyses, stating that “[a] substantive reasonableness determination . . . is an entirely separate inquiry from whether an error warrants correction under plain-error review.” Id. at 1910. The Court found that the dissent’s discussion of the severity of the criminal history “misses the point” of the plain error analysis, as it is a factor to be considered by the district court at resentencing rather than only by a reviewing court in deciding whether to permit that resentencing to occur. Rosales-Mireles, 138 S. Ct. at 1910 n.5. This court has also concluded that the severity of a defendant’s criminal history is not relevant to the question of whether the error implicates the fairness of judicial proceedings, as long as there is no evidence that the court relied exclusively on that history in imposing the sentence. See United States v. Perez-Mateo, 926 F.3d 216, 220 (5th Cir. 2019) (exercising discretion to remand because the district court’s statements at sentencing indicated its reliance on the incorrect guidelines range, even though the court also mentioned the defendant’s unscored criminal history and numerous deportations); Urbina-Fuentes, 900 F.3d at 698-99 (rejecting the Government’s argument that the error did not call into question the integrity of the judicial proceedings in light of the defendant’s serious criminal history). Here, the Government contends that the severity of Stoglin’s conduct in knowingly and intentionally shooting an individual does not warrant the exercise of this court’s discretion. However, as the Supreme Court and this court have suggested, while such an argument is appropriate for determining whether Stoglin ultimately warrants a lower sentence, it is misplaced in this court’s consideration of the propriety of a remand. See Urbina-Fuentes, 900 F.3d at 698 (relying on Rosales-Mireles for the conclusion that “a defendant’s criminal history should be irrelevant to [the court’s] decision whether or not to grant plain error relief”). Accordingly, this court shall exercise its 9 Case: 21-50206 Document: 00516321453 Page: 10 Date Filed: 05/17/2022 No. 21-50206 discretion to correct the district court’s error, which affects the fairness and integrity of judicial proceedings. See Rosales-Mireles, 138 S. Ct. at 1910 & n.5; Urbina-Fuentes, 900 F.3d at 698.