United States v. Brown

EDMONDSON, Circuit Judge:

This case presents the question of whether a defendant charged with multiple petty offenses (that is, offenses for which one may be imprisoned no more than six months) is entitled to a jury trial under the Sixth Amendment when the maximum allowable sentences for the charged offenses total greater than six months. The answer is “no.” We hold that the denial of Brown’s request for a trial by jury did not amount to constitutional error, and we affirm the decision of the district court.

I

Francis E. Brown was charged with two petty offenses: removal of forest products…