United States v. Beauregard — 4th Cir. (Oct 28, 2026)

No. 25-4672 Argued October 28, 2026 Published October 30, 2026

The Fourth Circuit hears Darren Beauregard's challenge to a sentence imposed after his supervised release was revoked. Supervised release is court supervision following prison, with conditions a person must obey. This appeal centers on how drug-possession conduct under Virginia law should be classified for sentencing. The disputed Grade B category covers conduct punishable by more than a year in prison. Virginia's Class 5 felony law allows either one to ten years in prison, or a discretionary jail sentence of twelve months or less. Does the possibility of the longer term make the conduct necessarily Grade B, or must the sentencing court examine which alternative applies? The grade helps determine an advisory sentencing range; it does not itself decide guilt on a new criminal charge.

United States v. Beauregard (No. 25-4672) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued October 28, 2026.

Sources

Argument audio — official Fourth Circuit recording, October 28, 2026:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/25-4672-20261028.mp3

Official Fourth Circuit audio archive:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/oral-argument/oral-argument-audio-files

Official calendar and case issue — No. 25-4672, printed page 7:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/cal/internetcalOct272026.pdf

Revocation hearing and originating case — appellate docket entry 7:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca4/25-4672

Supervised-release violation grades and advisory sentencing — U.S. Sentencing Commission, Chapter 7:https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/2025-guidelines-manual/annotated-2025-chapter-7

Virginia Class 5 felony sentencing alternatives — Code § 18.2-10(e):https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter1/section18.2-10/

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