⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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United States v. Martin — 10th Cir. (Sep 15, 2026)

No. 25-7057 Argued September 15, 2026 Published September 29, 2026

The Tenth Circuit hears Ashlie Martin's appeal from a murder-conspiracy prosecution on the Choctaw Nation Reservation in Oklahoma. According to prosecutors, when Martin was 17, she recruited two young men, let them into her home, and they killed her parents. Martin pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder them and received 38 years in federal prison. The two men who carried out the killings received 35 and 25 years. Her lawyer says the federal court lacked authority to hear the conspiracy charge: the Major Crimes Act lists murder in Indian country, but not conspiracy. The government says a separate federal murder-conspiracy law supplies that authority. If the conviction stands, the judges must decide whether Martin's longer sentence was reasonable in light of her youth and the different sentences for the two others.

United States v. Martin (No. 25-7057) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, argued September 15, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Tenth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/sites/ca10/files/oralarguments/25-7057.mp3
Argument date and docket — Tenth Circuit:https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/oralargument/search-results?field_oa_hearing_date_value%5Bmin%5D%5Bdate%5D=08%2F01%2F2026&field_oa_hearing_date_value%5Bmax%5D%5Bdate%5D=09%2F29%2F2026
Case events and sentences — U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Oklahoma:https://www.justice.gov/usao-edok/pr/choctaw-county-trio-sentenced-roles-2020-double-homicide
Guilty pleas — U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Oklahoma:https://www.justice.gov/usao-edok/pr/choctaw-county-double-homicide-guilty-pleas-entered
Pending sentence appeal — Federal Public Defender:https://ks.fd.org/sites/ks/files/media-library/issues-pending-20260402.pdf
Major Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1153 — U.S. Code:https://uscodeweb1.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title18-section1153
Murder conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. § 1117 — U.S. Code:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title18-section1117
Southerland and Leaman counsel identification — Tenth Circuit:https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/sites/ca10/files/opinions/010111061975.pdf
Martin counsel appearance — appellate docket:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca10/25-7057

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