Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a pro se employment discrimination complaint. The appellate court held that the plaintiff forfeited her arguments by failing to respond to a motion to dismiss for improper service of process.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a challenge to a Harris County administrative order restricting public access to misdemeanor bail bond contents. The court held that the order constitutes a permissible denial of access to government information rather than a violation of the First Amendment.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court protective order prohibiting defendants from disclosing the identities of Afghan plaintiffs who aided U.S. efforts. The court held that while the order is a content-based prior restraint, it satisfies strict scrutiny by serving the compelling government interest in national security.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of Katherine Lea Stanfield's federal habeas petition, ruling that the Idaho Supreme Court did not unreasonably apply federal law when admitting expert testimony about a technician's statements. The court held that the Confrontation Clause was not violated because the testifying expert had personal knowledge of the evidence's accuracy and the technician's labeling served a laboratory purpose rather than a trial purpose.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for JPMorgan Chase on a conversion claim, ruling that a bank acts within its account agreement when freezing funds to investigate suspicious deposits. The court held that the bank's reasonable suspicion and active verification efforts negated the 'wrongful act' element required for conversion liability.
The Federal Circuit dismissed Ramsey Randall's appeal as untimely because the notice of appeal was not received within the mandatory 60-day jurisdictional deadline. The court refused to apply the prison mailbox rule because Randall failed to provide evidence that he deposited the notice in the prison mail system with prepaid postage before the deadline expired.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Bradley Monical's civil rights claims, ruling that his suit was barred by Oregon's two-year statute of limitations and his failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The court further held that his access-to-courts claim failed due to a lack of evidence showing actual injury.
The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court judgment, holding that parents' IDEA claims regarding educational services prior to 2019 were time-barred under the statute of limitations. The court ruled that the limitations period began when parents knew or should have known of the school district's failure to assess their child and the resulting denial of a free appropriate public education.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment for the City of Oxnard, holding that its campaign contribution limits under Measure B do not violate the First Amendment. The court found the limits were closely drawn to prevent quid pro quo corruption and were not unconstitutionally low compared to similar municipalities.
The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court judgment, holding that parents' IDEA claims for services received before 2019 were time-barred. The court ruled that the two-year statute of limitations began when parents knew or should have known of the school's failure to assess and the resulting denial of a free appropriate public education.
