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 the dismissal of a civil rights and wrongful death complaint filed on behalf of a deceased detainee. The court held that the plaintiff failed to allege sufficient facts to support a due process claim or a wrongful death action.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a Texas prisoner challenging the denial of a motion to reopen his civil rights case. The court found it lacked jurisdiction because the notice of appeal was untimely and failed to properly designate the ruling being challenged.
The Tenth Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal of a journalist's First Amendment claims challenging Utah's media credentialing policy. The court held that the plaintiff plausibly alleged viewpoint discrimination and that the policy may be facially unconstitutional.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court order severing state environmental claims from federal third-party claims and remanding the state claims to state court. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in declining supplemental jurisdiction and that the Airport Authority was barred from relitigating its federal-officer removal argument under the law of the case doctrine.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner's civil rights lawsuit. The court held that the claims were barred because success would necessarily imply the invalidity of the plaintiff's state conviction.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's summary judgment in a Freedom of Information Act appeal. The panel held that the Election Assistance Commission conducted an adequate search and properly applied statutory exemptions.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police officers and the City of Charlotte in a Fourth Amendment excessive force and ADA claim. The court held that officers reasonably believed the suspect posed an imminent threat of serious physical harm despite his use of a prop gun.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to police officers and the city in a civil rights suit alleging excessive force during an arrest, ruling that the officer was entitled to qualified immunity.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed in part and affirmed in part an appeal challenging a magistrate judge's denial of qualified immunity to a police officer. The court held it lacked jurisdiction to review arguments turning on factual disputes but affirmed the denial of immunity on purely legal grounds.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court order granting summary judgment in a civil rights action. The appellate panel found no reversible error in the lower court's decision.
