Court Opinion

ID: 9633484
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 11:49:11.615411+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:08:36.454252
License: Public Domain

MELLOY, Circuit Judge,
with whom SMITH, Circuit Judge, joins, concurring.
Based on current Eighth Circuit precedent, I concur in the judgment in this case. As to appellee Sheri Brinton, I concur fully in the analysis and discussion by the majority. As to appellee Patrick James McMannus, I agree that our prior decision in this case, United States v. McMannus, 436 F.3d 871 (8th Cir.2006), has previously *853determined that absent consideration of post-sentencing rehabilitation, the sentence of twenty-four months was outside the range of reasonableness. There is nothing I can see in the record, other than post-sentencing rehabilitation, that was not before the circuit panel in the previous McMannus appeal. If we must exclude any consideration of post-sentencing rehabilitation, as the majority rightly notes we must under current circuit precedent, then the unreasonableness of a twenty-four month sentence has already been determined by a prior panel of this court.
My concern with this case, and the reason for my concurrence, is the binding precedent upon which the McMannus decision rests, that is, the inability to consider posNsentencing rehabilitation. I would join the Third Circuit and hold that post>sentencing rehabilitation is not normally relevant, however, there are exceptional cases in which it may be considered. United States v. Lloyd, 469 F.3d 319, 325 (3rd Cir.2006); see also, United States v. Butler, 221 Fed.Appx. 616, 617 (9th Cir. 2007) (unpublished). I would also find that this is such an exceptional case and that if we could consider post-sentencing rehabilitation, the sentence in this case would be reasonable. The majority has outlined the post-sentencing rehabilitation testimony and characterizes the evidence the district court heard as “.. extensive and compelling ...” ante at 851. While I do not disagree with the concept that post-sentencing rehabilitation should not normally be considered because of the potential windfall to those defendants who are the beneficiaries of resentencings, I also do not believe that we should have a rule that never allows an experienced district judge to consider that evidence. Certainly, such evidence is valuable in a case such as this where the post-sentencing rehabilitation not only involves conduct while incarcerated, but exceptional performance while in a half-way house and then following release to the community. Both the state probation officer who supervised Mr. McMannus in the half-way house and the federal probation officer who is currently supervising him on supervised release testified to his exceptional conduct.
In assessing at least three of the Section 3553(a) factors, deterrence, protection of the public and rehabilitation, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(B)(C) & (D), there would seem to be no better evidence than a defendant’s posb-incarceration conduct. In an exceptional case, such as this, I would permit the district court to consider that evidence in fashioning a reasonable sentence.