Hunter v. United States — SCOTUS (argued March 3, 2026)
The Supreme Court considers when a federal defendant may appeal a sentence despite promising not to appeal in a plea agreement. Munson Hunter challenged a supervised-release condition requiring him to take any mental-health medication prescribed, but the Fifth Circuit enforced his appeal waiver. The Court later ruled eight to one that a waiver is unenforceable when it would leave in place an obvious, egregious sentencing error that would bring the judicial system into disrepute. It returned Hunter's case to the Fifth Circuit without deciding whether this condition meets that demanding standard.
Hunter v. United States (No. 24-1063) — Supreme Court of the United States, argued March 3, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/media/audio/mp3files/24-1063.mp3
Argument transcript — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/24-1063_5h26.pdf
Case docket — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1063.html
Brief for Munson P. Hunter III:https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1063/386367/20251204101952422_Hunter%20Petitioners%20Brief.pdf
Brief for the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1063/391775/20260114182144958_24-1063bsUnitedStates.pdf
Decision — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1063new_l5gm.pdf
Decision coverage — SCOTUSblog:https://preview.scotusblog.com/2026/06/court-determines-federal-defendants-appellate-waivers-unenforceable-if-a-miscarriage-of-justice-/
Lisa S. Blatt — Williams & Connolly:https://www.wc.com/Attorneys/Lisa-S-Blatt
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:47Lisa S. Blatt
- 45:06Zoe A. Jacoby