Court Opinion

ID: 9560420
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 17:48:48.868515+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:12:54.605965
License: Public Domain

GRUENDER, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I fully concur in the Court’s opinion and judgment. I write separately to emphasize that our holding regarding the appropriate standard of review applies to the narrow circumstances of this case. We hold that an after-the-fact objection is not required to preserve errors where a party only asserts that the length of the sentence is unreasonable. This holding should not be construed as applying to all challenges to the reasonableness of a sentence.
We have previously held that the reasonableness of a sentence is reviewed for abuse of discretion and that a district court abuses its discretion when it: (1) fails to consider a relevant factor that should have received significant weight; (2) gives significant weight to an improper or irrelevant factor; or (3) considers the appropriate factors but commits a clear error of judgment in weighing those factors. United States v. Haack, 403 F.3d 997, 1003-04 (8th Cir.2005).
Wiley essentially argues that the district court erred in weighing the appropriate sentencing factors under § 3553(a). In this situation, I agree fully with the Court that requiring an after-the-fact objection at sentencing would serve no useful purpose. Hence, I read the Court’s holding that Wiley’s failure to object at sentencing does not .require plain error review to apply only where a party challenges the length of the sentence by asserting that the district court committed a clear error of judgment in weighing the appropriate factors.
However, this case does not address challenges that the district court abused its discretion in sentencing based on the first two grounds identified in Haack. Therefore, this opinion does not prevent a panel in a future case from holding that a party must object in order to avoid plain error review of challenges based on the district court’s failure to consider relevant factors or based upon the district court’s consideration of improper or irrelevant factors. While that ultimate determination will be left for another day, we have held that the purpose of an objection is to provide the district court 'an opportunity to correct any substantive errors before they are appealed. See Niemiec v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 449 F.3d 854, 857 (8th Cir.2006). As such, requiring an objection to the district court’s consideration of inappropriate *480factors or a sufficient argument identifying appropriate factors for the district court’s consideration would serve a useful purpose by furthering the long-standing goal of allowing the district court the opportunity to correct any potential errors in the first instance.
With these observations, I join the Court’s opinion and judgment.