Court Opinion

ID: 9457243
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 20:17:00.752308+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:35:16.824670
License: Public Domain

EUGENE A. WRIGHT, Circuit Judge
(dissenting):
Respectfully, I disagree and dissent. This case should not be controlled by Burgett v. Texas, 389 U.S. 109, 88 S.Ct. 258, 19 L.Ed.2d 319 (1967) or United States v. Thoresen, 428 F.2d 654 (9th Cir. 1970) but by United States v. Liles, 432 F.2d 18 (9th Cir. 1970).
The defendant in Liles was convicted of a violation of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, making it unlawful for anyone convicted of a felony to possess a firearm. Liles had been convicted of a felony in February 1969. In October of that year, he displayed a gun while shopping for a holster, was charged, tried and convicted on February 26, 1970. His earlier felony conviction had been reversed by the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on the previous day for lack of sufficient evidence.
On appeal from the weapons conviction, Liles argued that Congress intended to punish possession of firearms only where the prior enabling conviction was eventually sustained at the appellate level. We disagreed and said that:
“Congress did not intend to exempt from section 1202(a) (1) one whose status as a convicted felon changed after the date of possession, regardless of how that change of status occurred. (Cf. DePugh v. United States *472(8th Cir. 1968), 393 F.2d 367).” Liles, 432 F.2d at page 20.
After oral argument, we invited supplemental briefs and a discussion of Liles. The parties have been unable to distinguish it from the case before us, nor can I.