United States v. Deondrae Jackson

OPINION

REINHARDT, Circuit Judge:

I. BACKGROUND

This is not one of the more significant criminal cases to reach this court in recent years. Yet, because the United States succeeded in obtaining the conviction of Deondrae Jackson without proving its case, Mr. Jackson had little choice but to make every effort to have his conviction set aside. Fortunately, for him and the justice system, Mr. Jackson had the benefit of the Federal Public Defender system, which effectively exposed the obvious holes in the government’s case. The fine imposed on Mr. Jackson was only $150, which may seem insufficient…