Case Explained: USA V. HOWARD

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-04 Docket: 2:13-cr-00186-GMN-VCF-1 The ninth-circuit affirmed the district court’s order denying Abdul Howard’s third motion for a sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). Applying an abuse of discretion standard, the court held that the district court did not err in rejecting Howard’s arguments, which had been previously denied, and in finding no change in circumstances warranting relief. The court reasoned that neither United States v. Edling nor other cited changes in sentencing law affected Howard’s mandatory life sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3559(c), and Howard failed to raise new arguments regarding his medical conditions establishing he is incapable of self-care or that his prison cannot provide adequate medical care as required by U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13(b)(1). The district court’s denial of the motion stands. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.