Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a police officer who submitted a false report to cover up coercing a minor into sex. The court rejected challenges regarding federal jurisdiction intent, Franks hearing denials, the good-faith exception, and claims of substantial prejudice from indictment delay.
The Eleventh Circuit vacated a dismissal, holding that a male student plausibly alleged sex-based sexual harassment under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause due to hazing intended to emasculate him.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in a civil rights action brought by a prisoner. The court held that the plaintiff failed to meet his burden of producing evidence to support his failure-to-protect claim.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in an employment discrimination case. The appellate panel concluded that the lower court's decision was proper after reviewing the record and arguments.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal habeas corpus petition filed by an Arizona death row prisoner. The court held that the prisoner procedurally defaulted most of his ineffective assistance of counsel claims and failed to show cause and prejudice to excuse those defaults.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a challenge to federal firearm purchase requirements. The court held that requiring non-citizens to provide an alien registration number on Form 4473 does not violate the Second Amendment or related statutes.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's thirty-five count employment discrimination complaint. The court held that the pleading was an impermissible shotgun complaint that failed to provide defendants adequate notice of the claims against them.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in a civil rights lawsuit brought by a woman arrested outside a courthouse. The panel held that the arresting officer had probable cause, which defeats the plaintiff's Fourth and First Amendment claims.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner's civil rights complaint for failing to follow court orders to sever unrelated claims. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion by dismissing the entire case without prejudice when the plaintiff refused to organize his claims into separate lawsuits.
The Ninth Circuit vacated a preliminary injunction that had blocked President Trump's Executive Order excluding certain federal agencies from collective bargaining requirements, ruling that the unions failed to prove the order was motivated by retaliation.
