⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Fifth Circuit hears Gary Haynes's challenge to his federal convictions. Haynes was an assistant district attorney who oversaw a pretrial intervention program in Louisiana. The program offered some people facing criminal charges a way to complete classes and other requirements instead of going through ordinary prosecution. Successful completion could lead to dismissal of their charges. Prosecutors alleged that Haynes and a colleague steered participants to a private vendor's paid courses in exchange for promised kickbacks. A federal jury convicted Haynes of bribery-related offenses, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstruction of justice. The argument you are about to hear concerns the fairness of that trial and the evidence the jury was allowed to consider. When does evidence of other alleged wrongdoing help explain a defendant's knowledge or intent, and when does it invite guilt by association? Keep the referral scheme actually charged separate from the other allegations mentioned during the argument. Does that additional material illuminate what happened, or distract from the proof of this particular crime? And if the trial judge made an evidentiary mistake, did it matter to the verdict? Listen for the distinction between identifying an error and showing why it should change the result.

United States v. Gary Haynes (No. 26-30003) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued November 3, 2026.