United States v. Brownlee — 5th Cir. (Oct 5, 2026)
We hear a Fifth Circuit argument in an armed-robbery case. The defendant was prosecuted for a series of robberies at cash-loan stores in Texas. Surveillance images helped investigators connect a black SUV to the robberies. After a jury convicted him, he brought this appeal. The Hobbs Act is a federal law against robbery affecting commerce. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Police surveillance can raise a threshold question: what counts as a search? A motion to suppress asks a court to keep evidence out of a trial. Here is the argument.
United States v. Brownlee (No. 25-10855) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued October 5, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/25/25-10855_10-05-2026.mp3
Case and argument date — Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings/results?from=2026-08-01&to=2026-10-06
Robberies, investigation and trial — U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas:https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/armed-serial-robber-five-cash-stores-convicted-trial
Robbery affecting commerce — 18 U.S.C. §1951:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1951
Hobbs Act — Taylor v. United States, Supreme Court majority:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/579/14-6166/
Searches and seizures — Fourth Amendment:https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fourth_amendment
Police surveillance and searches — Katz v. United States, Supreme Court majority:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/389/347/
Motions to suppress — Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41(h):https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_41
Excluding evidence — Weeks v. United States, Supreme Court majority:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/232/383/
- 0:00Introduction