United States of America v. Matthew Hightower

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 21-6388
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
MATTHEW HIGHTOWER,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, at Baltimore.
George Jarrod Hazel, District Judge. (1:15-cr-00322-GJH-3)
Submitted: November 9, 2021 Decided: November 18, 2021
Before MOTZ, DIAZ, and THACKER, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Matthew Hightower, Appellant Pro Se.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Matthew Hightower appeals the district court’s order denying his motion for
compassionate release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), as amended by the First Step
Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-391, § 603(b)(1), 132 Stat. 5194, 5239, challenging the
adequacy of the court’s explanation. Although the court’s explanation could have been
more robust, we conclude that it was sufficient to permit meaningful appellate review in
light of the facts of Hightower’s case. See United States v. High, 997 F.3d 181, 187-91
(4th Cir. 2021) (discussing extent of explanation required in compassionate-release cases).
Accordingly, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying
Hightower’s motion, and we affirm the court’s order. See United States v. Kibble, 992 F.3d
326, 329 (4th Cir. 2021) (per curiam) (stating standard), cert. denied, No. 21-5624, 2021
WL 4733616 (U.S. Oct. 12, 2021). We dispense with oral argument because the facts and
legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument
would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED

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