Court Opinion

ID: 9943635
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-23 22:01:12.365092+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:47:38.860382
License: Public Domain

USCA11 Case: 23-12870    Document: 17-1     Date Filed: 02/23/2024   Page: 1 of 5

                                               [DO NOT PUBLISH]
                                   In the
                United States Court of Appeals
                        For the Eleventh Circuit

                          ____________________

                                No. 23-12870
                          Non-Argument Calendar
                          ____________________

       UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
                                                      Plaintiﬀ-Appellee,
       versus
       ADAM WAYNE LEBOWITZ,

                                                  Defendant-Appellant.

                          ____________________

                 Appeal from the United States District Court
                    for the Northern District of Georgia
                  D.C. Docket No. 1:07-cr-00195-RWS-JFK-1
                          ____________________
USCA11 Case: 23-12870         Document: 17-1         Date Filed: 02/23/2024          Page: 2 of 5

       2                          Opinion of the Court                        23-12870

       Before WILSON, LUCK, and BLACK, Circuit Judges.
       PER CURIAM:
              Adam Lebowitz appeals the district court’s order denying
       his motion for compassionate release under 18 U.S.C.
       § 3582(c)(1)(A) and his motion for reconsideration of that denial.
       He asserts the court erred in finding that he was a danger to the
       community and that he failed to present extraordinary and com-
       pelling reasons to justify his release. The Government moved for
       summary affirmance, contending the court did not abuse its discre-
       tion in denying the motions because Lebowitz failed to establish
       extraordinary and compelling reasons, was a danger to the com-
       munity, and the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors weighed against his re-
       lease. After review, 1 we affirm.
             District courts lack the inherent authority to modify a term
       of imprisonment but may do so within § 3582(c)’s provisions.
       18 U.S.C. § 3582(c); United States v. Bryant, 996 F.3d 1243, 1251

       1 We review a district court’s denial of an eligible defendant’s request for com-

       passionate release under § 3582(c)(1)(A) for abuse of discretion. United States
       v. Harris, 989 F.3d 908, 911 (11th Cir. 2021). We review the denial of a motion
       for reconsideration for abuse of discretion. United States v. Simms, 385 F.3d
       1347, 1356 (11th Cir. 2004). “A district court abuses its discretion if it applies
       an incorrect legal standard, follows improper procedures in making the deter-
       mination,” makes clearly erroneous factual findings, or commits a clear error
       of judgment. Harris, 989 F.3d at 911-12 (quotation marks omitted).
USCA11 Case: 23-12870     Document: 17-1     Date Filed: 02/23/2024     Page: 3 of 5

       23-12870               Opinion of the Court                       3

       (11th Cir. 2021). As amended by § 603(b) of the First Step Act,
       § 3582(c) now provides, in relevant part, that:
             the court, upon motion of the Director of the Bureau
             of Prisons [BOP], or upon motion of the defendant
             after the defendant has fully exhausted all administra-
             tive rights to appeal a failure of the [BOP] to bring a
             motion on the defendant’s behalf or the lapse of 30
             days from the receipt of such a request by the warden
             of the defendant’s facility, whichever is earlier, may
             reduce the term of imprisonment . . . , after consider-
             ing the factors set forth in section 3553(a) to the ex-
             tent that they are applicable, if it ﬁnds that . . . ex-
             traordinary and compelling reasons warrant such a
             reduction . . . and that such a reduction is consistent
             with applicable policy statements issued by the Sen-
             tencing Commission . . . .

       18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).
              To grant a reduction under § 3582(c)(1)(A), a district court
       must find that three necessary conditions are satisfied, which are:
       “support in the § 3553(a) factors, extraordinary and compelling rea-
       sons, and adherence to § 1B1.13’s policy statement.” United States
       v. Tinker, 14 F.4th 1234, 1237-38 (11th Cir. 2021). District courts
       do not need to address these three conditions in any particular se-
       quence, as the absence of even one forecloses a sentence reduction.
       Id.
             Summary affirmance is warranted because the Govern-
       ment’s position is clearly correct as a matter of law. See Groendyke
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       4                         Opinion of the Court                       23-12870

       Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 406 F.2d 1158, 1162 (5th Cir. 1969) 2 (explain-
       ing summary disposition is appropriate, in part, where “the posi-
       tion of one of the parties is clearly right as a matter of law so that
       there can be no substantial question as to the outcome of the case,
       or where, as is more frequently the case, the appeal is frivolous”).
       Lebowitz forfeited any argument the court erred in weighing the
       § 3553(a) factors by failing to raise the argument in his initial brief.
       Where a defendant does not offer any argument regarding an issue
       on appeal, he is deemed to have forfeited that issue. See United
       States v. Campbell, 26 F.4th 860, 873 (11th Cir. 2022) (en banc) (stat-
       ing issues not raised in an initial brief are deemed forfeited and will
       not be addressed absent extraordinary circumstances). While Le-
       bowitz makes a passing reference to the § 3553(a) factors within his
       discussion of the dangerousness issue, his passing reference is insuf-
       ficient to raise the district court’s weighing of the § 3553(a) factors
       on review. See Brown v. United States, 720 F.3d 1316, 1332 (11th
       Cir. 2013) (stating a party must plainly and prominently raise a
       claim or issue on appeal, and “[m]erely making passing references
       to a claim under different topical headings is insufficient. Instead,
       the party must clearly and unambiguously demarcate the specific
       claim and devote a discrete section of his argument to it, so the
       court may properly consider it.”). Because Lebowitz failed to chal-
       lenge one of the grounds on which the district court made its

       2 In Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir. 1981) (en banc),

       this Court adopted as binding precedent all decisions of the former Fifth Cir-
       cuit handed down prior to close of business on September 30, 1981.
USCA11 Case: 23-12870      Document: 17-1       Date Filed: 02/23/2024      Page: 5 of 5

       23-12870                Opinion of the Court                           5

       decision, the court’s judgment is due to be affirmed. See United
       States v. King, 751 F.3d 1268, 1277 (11th Cir. 2014).
               As such, we do not address whether the court abused its dis-
       cretion in finding Lebowitz was a danger to the community or he
       failed to present extraordinary and compelling reasons to justify his
       release. See Tinker, 14 F.4th at 1237-38. Accordingly, because the
       Government’s position is clearly correct as a matter of law, we
       GRANT the Government’s motion for summary affirmance. 3 See
       Groendyke Transp., Inc., 406 F.2d at 1162.
              AFFIRMED.

       3 We DENY the Government’s motion to stay the briefing schedule as moot.