Sixth Circuit addresses "violent felonies"

In two recent cases, USA v. Oaks, No. 06-6056 (6th Cir. Dec. 15, 2011) (published) and USA v. Rodriguez, No. 09-3867 (6th Cir. Dec. 21, 2011) (published) the court addressed whether an offense is a violent felony in these criminal sentencing cases.  In Oaks, the court found, in a split decision, that escape from a courtroom was not a violent felony.  In Rodriguez, it found that an Ohio conviction for aggravated assault is a violent felony.