# United States v. Duran-Gonzalez: Collateral Attacks and Interpreter Rights

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/swear-on-the-stand-7111404/united-states-v-duran-gonzalez-collateral-attacks-and-interpreter-rights
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/swear-on-the-stand-7111404/united-states-v-duran-gonzalez-collateral-attacks-and-interpreter-rights.md
Podcast: [Swear on the Stand](https://stenobird.com/podcast/swear-on-the-stand-7111404)
Published: 2026-06-11T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/danielswear/episodes/United-States-v--Duran-Gonzalez-Collateral-Attacks-and-Interpreter-Rights-e3kbk7t
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/fddb5314/podcast/play/121015997/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-4%2F3961a9a9-4fcd-0443-ae11-65fcebb7e643.m4a
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Duration seconds: 1689

## Resource

This episode details a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision regarding Heraclio Duran-Gonzalez , who challenged his status as a career offender during sentencing. The defendant argued that his prior drug convictions were unconstitutional because the courts failed to provide a translator for his native language, Tarahumara . However, the appellate court determined that his claim constituted an impermissible collateral attack on previous judgments. Citing Supreme Court precedent , the judges ruled that such challenges are only allowed if a defendant was completely denied legal counsel . Because the lack of an interpreter does not equate to an absence of representation , the court affirmed the original 151-month prison sentence.

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## Transcript

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