Bloomberg Law: Supreme Court to Consider if Attempted Robbery is ‘Violent’

The US Supreme Court granted review of an appeal from the Justice Department on a heavily divided issue: whether attempted federal robbery counts as a “crime of violence,” this article reported.

In United States v. Taylor, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit maintained that the attempted Hobbs Act robberies (those affecting interstate or foreign commerce) did not qualify as crimes of violence, in contrast with other circuits’ positions. 

O’Melveny joined opposition counsel in arguing that the Court should decline the government’s request that it “short-circuit a recently emerged debate among the courts of appeals by adopting arguments the government has never presented to any federal appellate court.”

The O’Melveny team included partner Michael Dreeben, counsel Kendall Turner, and associates Grace Leeper and Jenya Godina.

Bloomberg Law subscribers can read the full article here.