Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
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.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a civil rights complaint filed by a pro se appellant. The appellate court found that the appellant failed to demonstrate any reversible error in his informal brief.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court order dismissing a pro se civil rights complaint without prejudice. The appellate court denied motions to dismiss the appeal and to strike, finding no reversible error in the lower court's decision.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a civil action brought by a pro se appellant against an insurance company. The appellate panel found no reversible error in the lower court's rulings on subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the criminal judgment against Ricky Grover Aaron while dismissing his appeal regarding funding for an expert witness. The court found that Aaron's guilty plea waived non-jurisdictional defects and that no meritorious grounds for appeal existed under the Anders standard.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police and municipal defendants in a civil rights suit brought by a man who brandished a handgun during an altercation with golfers. The court held that probable cause existed for the arrest and that no constitutional violation occurred regarding the arrest or the subsequent media coverage.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a legal-malpractice insurance coverage dispute involving two insurers. The court held that the plaintiff failed to meet the strict notice requirements and retroactive date exclusions under the applicable policies.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a dismissal of a class action alleging that a pharmacy benefits manager violated Arkansas state laws regarding mail-order prescriptions and network adequacy. The court held that the state-imposed geographic coverage requirements for pharmacy networks are preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a ninety-six-month sentence for drug possession and distribution. The court rejected the defendant's arguments that acquitted conduct sentencing violated the Double Jeopardy Clause.
