Cope

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  No. 06-50441 Plaintiff-Appellee, D.C. No. v.  CR-05-00765-GPS-

GORDON DOUGLAS COPE, JR.,

Defendant-Appellant.  OPINION

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California George P. Schiavelli, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted June 4, 2007—Pasadena, California

Filed November 5, 2007

Before: Sidney R. Thomas, Raymond C. Fisher, and Ronald M. Gould, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Thomas

14565 UNITED STATES v. COPE 14569

COUNSEL

Sean K. Kennedy, Acting Federal Public Defender, and Eliza- beth A. Newman (argued), Deputy Federal Public Defender, Los Angeles, California, for the appellant.

George S. Cardona, Acting United States Attorney, Thomas P. O’Brien, Assistant United States Attorney, and Andrea L. Russi (argued), Assistant United States Attorney, Los Ange- les, California, for the appellee.

OPINION

THOMAS, Circuit Judge:

In this appeal we consider, among other matters, whether the district court’s imposition of a lifetime of…