093222P.pdf   04/12/2011  United States  v.  Douglas Meeks
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  09-3222
                          and No:  09-3234
   U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa - Davenport   
   [PUBLISHED] [Shepherd, Author, with Gruender and Arnold, Circuit Judges]
   Criminal case - Criminal law and Sentencing. Even if the reading of the
   superceding indictment was error under the circumstances of the case, the
   error was harmless in light of the court's clear instructions to the jury
   concerning dismissed counts; evidence was sufficient to support
   defendants' convictions for conspiracy to distribute crack; district court
   did not plainly err in failing to give a lesser-included offense instruction 
   on distribution; Anders issues concerning jury selection and publicity were
   meritless; the inclusion of Anders issues in a merits brief is a practice
   which should be avoided; use of juvenile offense to enhance a sentence
   does not violate the Eighth Amendment; district court is not required to
   vary downwards to eliminate the disparity between crack and cocaine
   sentences and refusal to do so is not an abuse of the court's discretion;
   guidelines challenge was moot in light of defendant's statutorily-mandated
   life sentence.