United States v. Christopher

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Decided: December 18, 2023
• Docket: 23-650
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS DEC 18 2023 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, No. 23-650 D.C. No. 1:18-cr-00059-DKW-RT-1 Plaintiff - Appellee,

v. MEMORANDUM* PETER CHRISTOPHER,

Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii Derrick K. Watson, District Judge, Presiding

Submitted December 12, 2023**

Before: WALLACE, LEE, and BUMATAY, Circuit Judges.

Peter Christopher appeals pro se from the district court’s denial of his

motion for early termination of his supervised release. We have jurisdiction under

28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review for abuse of discretion, see United States v. Emmett,

749 F.3d 817, 819 (9th Cir. 2014), and we affirm.

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). Christopher contends that early termination of his supervised release is

warranted because he has performed well on supervision and has successfully

transitioned back into the community. He contends that the district court applied

the wrong legal standard, ignored relevant facts, and failed to explain adequately

its decision. The record does not support these claims. The court’s order makes

clear that it fully considered Christopher’s circumstances and denied early

termination in light of the “interests of justice” and “nature and circumstances of

the offense,” which are permissible considerations. See 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e);

Emmett, 749 F.3d at 819. Contrary to Christopher’s argument, the court did not

deny early termination to punish him; rather, its reference to punishment was in

connection with its discussion of the original sentence. Moreover, the court

adequately explained its decision to deny Christopher’s motion. See Emmett, 749

F.3d at 820-21. On this record, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its

“broad discretion” by denying Christopher’s request for early termination. See id.

at 819.

AFFIRMED.

2 23-650