Certiorari Granted

The Supreme Court recently granted (November 15, 2019) certiorari in James Walker, Petitioner v. United States of America.

The petition is attached. The question presented is:

Whether a criminal offense that can be committed
with a mens rea of recklessness can qualify as a “violent
felony” under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C. 924(e).

Here’s how the opening paragraph of the petition puts it:

“This case present a significant and frequently recurring question of criminal law that urgently requires the Court’s review: whether a criminal offense that can be committed with a mens rea of recklessness qualifies as a “violent felony” under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). There is a deep and widely recognized conflict in the courts of appeals over that question — a question that the government itself has conceded is exceptionally important.”

Walker Cert Petition