United States v. Farmer

1996

Venue: 8th Cir

Facts: Farmer is the first guy to get a 3-strikes-and-you're-out prosecution.

Posture: Convicted, looks like, and appeals about the sentence.

Issue: Does this violate due process, double jeopardy, ex post facto, or equal protection?

Holding: No, no, no, no. Affirmed.

Rule: Disparate impact alone is not enough to show a constitutional violation.

Reasoning: For this to violate equal protection, it would have to be shown that congress enacted this statute because of-- not in spite of-- its adverse effects on an identifiable group.

Dicta: