Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed a petition for review due to a lack of prosecution. The court issued an order stating that the petition was dismissed pursuant to specific circuit rules.
The Tenth Circuit denied Jesus Dominguez's request for a certificate of appealability, upholding the district court's dismissal of his federal habeas petition as untimely. The court found that Dominguez failed to show that reasonable jurists could debate the correctness of the procedural ruling regarding the statute of limitations.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of the plaintiff's amended complaint with prejudice for failure to state a claim. The appellate court held that the appellant waived all arguments for reversal by failing to address the district court's specific legal reasoning in his brief.
The Third Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Lackawanna County, ruling that the appellant failed to prove her termination was motivated by age. The court found no evidence that the employer's documented performance-based actions were a pretext for age discrimination.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a racial discrimination verdict against a transportation company that rescinded a job offer based on the applicant's race. The court held that the district court properly cured counsel misconduct and that the damages awarded were supported by evidence and not unconstitutionally excessive.
The Eleventh Circuit vacated the district court's dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's Title VII discrimination and retaliation claims. The appellate court held that the amended complaint related back to the original filing and that the district court applied the wrong legal standard by requiring a prima facie case at the motion to dismiss stage.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Fair Housing Act claim because the plaintiff failed to plead specific facts linking her disability to the landlord's failure to make repairs. The court also rejected the plaintiff's motion to recuse the district judge, ruling that adverse rulings alone do not prove judicial bias.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's Section 1983 challenge to a Texas discovery statute, holding that the Younger abstention doctrine bars federal intervention. The court ruled that the plaintiff had an adequate opportunity to raise his constitutional claims within the ongoing state criminal proceedings.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's Section 1983 claims, ruling that the proposed amended complaint failed to state a valid claim regardless of the district court's procedural error. The court held that the amendment was insufficient as a matter of law because it omitted the police department and failed to allege a Monell violation.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a constitutional challenge to a Texas statute limiting marriage solemnization to religious officials or judges. The court held that the plaintiff lacked Article III standing because he failed to allege concrete plans to perform a wedding ceremony in the county.
