U.S. Supreme Court deciding one of Professor Brent E. Newton's court-appointed criminal cases

CARLISLE, Pa.—On Friday, October 10, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in a case in which Professor Brent E. Newton was lead counsel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and is co-counsel in the U.S. Supreme Court. The certiorari petition that the Court granted is available by clicking here.

The issues in the case concern the effect of appellate waivers in federal defendants' plea agreements. The case will potentially affect countless federal defendants, as the vast majority enter guilty pleas with plea agreements that waive their rights to appeal.

In 2009, Practitioner in Residence Brent E. Newton was appointed as deputy director of the United States Sentencing Commission, a position he held until January 2019. Professor Newton also practices civil, criminal, and immigration law in Maryland and Texas. In addition, he has been a lecturer, adjunct professor, or visiting professor at several other law schools, including American and Georgetown Universities, the University of Houston Law Center, and Seoul National University in South Korea. Professor Newton has been an elected member of the American Law Institute since 2010.