Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of emergency injunctive relief. The court held that the pro se appellant failed to argue how the lower court erred in her opening brief.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's civil rights action as frivolous. The court held that the district court properly exercised its inherent authority to dismiss a complaint based on fantastical allegations and a history of unmeritorious litigation.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a pro se prisoner because the notice of appeal was untimely. The court found that the filing date fell outside the statutory deadlines for appealing the underlying district court orders.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a conviction for drug trafficking and firearm possession, rejecting a challenge to a prolonged traffic stop and warrantless vehicle search. The court held that officer testimony regarding the smell of marijuana provided both reasonable suspicion to extend the stop and probable cause to search the vehicle under the automobile exception.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a federal prisoner challenging his sentence. The court found that reasonable jurists would not debate the district court's rulings on the prisoner's Fourth Amendment and ineffective assistance claims.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to a county manager who refused to read a public comment at a board meeting. The court held that the manager's refusal constituted viewpoint discrimination in a limited public forum.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's dismissal of a pro se prisoner's civil rights complaint without prejudice. The court held that the dismissal was a proper exercise of the district court's inherent authority to enforce its rules regarding litigation history disclosure.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se legal malpractice complaint. The court held that the plaintiff waived her right to appellate review by failing to object to the magistrate judge's report and recommendation within the required timeframe.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal prisoner's motion to vacate his sentence. The court held that trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to argue that a parole condition waiving warrantless searches did not extend to suspicionless searches.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a pro se litigant. The court found the appeal duplicative because it sought to challenge an order already affirmed in a prior decision.
