State v. Washington

The defendant was tried and convicted on three counts of distribution of cocaine in violation of La.R.S. 40:967(B)(1). The trial court sentenced him to a combined total of twenty (20) years at hard labor. On appeal, a divided panel on the Second Circuit affirmed the defendant’s convictions and sentences in an unpublished opinion. State v. Washington, 601 So.2d 40 (La.App. 2nd Cir.1992) (Brown, J. dissenting). Among other arguments rejected, the majority on the Second Circuit panel determined that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion by imposing a 15-minute limit on the closing…