United States v. Jose Molina
United States v. Jose Molina
Opinion
USCA4 Appeal: 23-4317 Doc: 34 Filed: 10/24/2024 Pg: 1 of 2
UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 23-4317
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
JOSE ALEXIS MOLINA, a/k/a Jose Molina, a/k/a Jose Alexis Molina-Lopez, a/k/a Jose Molina Lopez,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Rossie David Alston, Jr., District Judge. (1:22-cr-00209-RDA-1)
Submitted: October 22, 2024 Decided: October 24, 2024
Before KING and WYNN, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
ON BRIEF: Geremy C. Kamens, Federal Public Defender, Patrick L. Bryant, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Brooke S. Rupert, Assistant Federal Public Defender, OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellant. Joseph Attias, Assistant United States Attorney, Zachary H. Ray, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. USCA4 Appeal: 23-4317 Doc: 34 Filed: 10/24/2024 Pg: 2 of 2
PER CURIAM:
Jose Alexis Molina appeals his jury conviction for illegal reentry after removal
subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction, in violation of
8 U.S.C. § 1326(a),
(b)(2). He argues that
8 U.S.C. § 1326is unconstitutional because it violates the equal
protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment. Specifically, Molina maintains that § 1326
was enacted with a racially discriminatory purpose and that the law has had a
discriminatory effect. The Government moves for summary affirmance in light of our
recent decision in United States v. Sanchez-Garcia,
98 F.4th 90(4th Cir. 2024), in which
we sustained the constitutionality of § 1326 against the same argument raised by Molina.
The Government contends that Molina’s sole argument on appeal is foreclosed by
Sanchez-Garcia and, thus, is “manifestly unsubstantial.” See 4th Cir. R. 27(f)(1). Molina
concedes that Sanchez-Garcia forecloses his constitutional challenge but maintains that
Sanchez-Garcia was wrongly decided and that he seeks to preserve his claim for future
litigation. Because the only issue raised in Molina’s appeal is foreclosed by our decision
in Sanchez-Garcia, we grant the Government’s motion for summary affirmance, and we
affirm the district court’s judgment. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and
legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument
would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
2
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished