Home › Case Library › United States v. Routh (11th Circuit appeal)
Awaiting decisionUnited States v. Routh (11th Circuit appeal)
Will the Eleventh Circuit uphold Ryan Routh's conviction and life sentence in full?
Where the case stands
Sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 4, 2026; notice of appeal filed Feb. 16, 2026 challenging both conviction and sentence; the appeal is before the Eleventh Circuit, with no oral-argument date publicly reported as of Oct. 2, 2026.
Background
Ryan Routh hid with an SKS-style rifle in the tree line of Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, on Sept. 15, 2024, while Donald Trump played the course; a Secret Service agent spotted the rifle barrel and fired, and Routh fled and was arrested on I-95. He represented himself at the Sept. 2025 trial with standby counsel.
Charges
- Convicted Sept. 23, 2025 on all five counts: attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; assaulting a federal officer; felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number
The arguments
Prosecution/State: Routh staked out the golf course for weeks, brought a scoped rifle with an obliterated serial number to the fence line, and left behind a letter describing the act as an assassination attempt on Donald Trump — a premeditated attempt thwarted only by an agent spotting the barrel.
Defense: Routh (pro se at trial) contested intent to kill and now says the trial was riddled with flaws; expected appellate issues include the handling of his self-representation, evidentiary rulings, and sufficiency on the attempt and assault counts.
The record
- The rifle. SKS-style rifle with scope and obliterated serial number recovered at the fence line of the golf course.
- The letter. A letter Routh left in a box with a witness months earlier describing an assassination attempt on Trump, admitted at trial.
- Stakeout proof. Cell-site records and surveillance evidence showing weeks of reconnaissance around the course.
- Agent testimony. Secret Service agent testified to spotting the rifle barrel through the fence and firing, after which Routh fled; highway arrest followed within the hour.
The line-setting read at the time this market opened
Federal convictions are affirmed at a very high rate, and the evidence was overwhelming; the live appellate risk is procedural — a self-represented defendant creates Faretta/standby-counsel issues — which is why this is not a 95+ market.
Awaiting decision — Eleventh Circuit briefing/argument and the panel's decision. The ruling is posted here, and on the board, the moment it's confirmed by two or more independent news organizations.
Sources
- Local12/Sinclair — appeal filed (Feb. 16, 2026)
- AOL/AP — Routh appeals life sentence
- CourtListener docket, S.D. Fla. No. 9:24-cr-80116
Public record
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