United States Fourth Circuit

Defendant's capital murder conviction is affirmed, where: 1) a juror improperly contacted the media but the government rebutted the resulting presumption of prejudice; and 2) the District Court properly disqualified Defendant's first appointed counsel because there was a potential conflict of interest.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/30/2009
• Published 03/30/2009

Judges

• Before WILLIAMS, Chief Judge, and TRAXLER and KING, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Melissa Anne Meister, Jenner & Block, L.L.P., Washington, D.C.;  Timothy Joseph Sullivan, Brennan, Sullivan & McKenna, L.L.P., Greenbelt, Maryland, for Appellant.  Thomas Ernest Booth, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  David W. DeBruin, Stephen L. Ascher, Kali N. Bracey, Thomas G. Pulham, Eric R. Haren, Jenner & Block, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellant.  William W. Wilkins, III, United States Attorney, Robert F. Daley, Assistant United States Attorney, Office of the United States Attorney, Columbia, South Carolina;  Scott N. Schools, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Appellee.