United States v. Boyd

POSNER, Circuit Judge.

The defendant, Jeff Boyd, was convicted of a variety of drug-related crimes and sentenced to 50 years in prison. We affirmed, 208 F.3d 638 (7th Cir.2000), shortly before the Supreme Court decided Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000). Citing Apprendi, Boyd petitioned for certiorari, arguing that his sentence had been increased beyond the limits in the statutory provisions under which he had been con victed, without the jury’s having been required to decide whether the type or quantity of drugs justified his higher sentence. The…