United States v. Cooke
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
565 Fed. Appx. 193 (2014)
- Written by Liz Nakamura, JD
Facts
Randle Cooke (plaintiff) had three prior convictions for sexual offenses against minors. Cooke perpetrated all three offenses while paralyzed from the waist down. After Cooke was released following the third offense, federal agents found over 100 images of child pornography on his computer. Cooke pleaded guilty to possession and receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to 87 months in prison. Shortly before Cooke’s release date, the federal government (defendant) filed a petition under the Adam Walsh Act to have Cooke civilly committed as a sexually dangerous person. Cooke’s release from prison was stayed while the district court conducted an evidentiary hearing. At the hearing, the government presented evidence that Cooke refused sex-offender treatment and engaged in a relationship with a troubled 22-year-old fellow sex offender while in prison. Government psychological experts testified that Cooke suffered from hebephilia, which is a sexual attraction to adolescents, and that Cooke was highly likely to reoffend. Cooke testified that his only plan following release was to live with his mother and possibly seek counseling. Cooke minimalized or outright denied his prior sexually abusive behavior. Cooke’s psychological expert stated that Cooke’s hebephilia was not a diagnosable mental illness and that Cooke’s paralysis made him less likely to reoffend. The district court ruled that Cooke was a sexually dangerous person and ordered civil commitment. Cooke appealed, arguing that the government failed to prove Cooke was a sexually dangerous person.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)
Concurrence (Davis, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.