Court Opinion

ID: 9381841
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-24 00:00:24.128318+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:34.912858
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-50874         Document: 00516687338             Page: 1      Date Filed: 03/23/2023

              United States Court of Appeals
                   for the Fifth Circuit
                                     _____________
                                                                                United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                         Fifth Circuit
                                      No. 22-50874
                                  consolidated with                                    FILED
                                      No. 22-50890                               March 23, 2023
                                    _____________                                 Lyle W. Cayce
                                                                                       Clerk
   United States of America,

                                                                       Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                             versus

   Edgar Ivan Armenta-Lopez,

                                               Defendant—Appellant.
                      ______________________________

                     Appeals from the United States District Court
                          for the Western District of Texas
                      USDC Nos. 4:19-CR-438-3, 4:22-CR-230-1
                     ______________________________

   Before Davis, Smith, and Douglas, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam: *
          Edgar Ivan Armenta-Lopez appeals his conviction and sentence for
   illegal reentry into the United States under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b)(2), as
   well as the judgment revoking his term of supervised release for a prior
   offense. The latter challenge is unbriefed and thus abandoned. See United
   States v. Reagan, 596 F.3d 251, 254-55 (5th Cir. 2010).

          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-50874      Document: 00516687338         Page: 2     Date Filed: 03/23/2023

                                    No. 22-50874
                                  c/w No. 22-50890

          On     appeal,   Armenta-Lopez      contends    that   the    recidivism
   enhancement in § 1326(b) is unconstitutional because it permits a sentence
   above the otherwise applicable statutory maximum established by § 1326(a)
   based on facts that are neither alleged in the indictment nor found by a jury
   beyond a reasonable doubt. Although Armenta-Lopez acknowledges that
   this argument is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S.
   224 (1998), he nevertheless seeks to preserve it for possible Supreme Court
   review and has filed an unopposed motion for summary disposition.
          Because Armenta-Lopez is correct that his argument is foreclosed, see
   United States v. Pervis, 937 F.3d 546, 553-54 (5th Cir. 2019), summary
   disposition is appropriate, see Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 406 F.2d 1158,
   1162 (5th Cir. 1969).          Accordingly, Armenta-Lopez’s motion is
   GRANTED, and the district court’s judgments are AFFIRMED.

                                              2