Aisha Johnson

Correspondent

Aisha Johnson

Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.

Civil Rights & Constitutional

Decisions covered by Aisha Johnson

1,080 decisions
Apr 17 2026
4th Cir. 25-1058 Panel Decision

Byers v. Painter

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity for a police officer who used deadly force against a man holding a hatchet, ruling that the force was objectively unreasonable under the totality of the circumstances. The court held that the officer violated clearly established Fourth Amendment rights because the suspect posed no immediate threat and was fleeing when shot in the back.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Qualified Immunity
Read summary →
Apr 17 2026
9th Cir. 17-72643 Unpublished

CARLOS GONZALEZ-BENITEZ v. TODD BLANCHE, Acting Attorney General Nos. 17-72643; 18-71411

The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order rejecting a motion to reopen removal proceedings based on ineffective assistance of counsel. The court affirmed that the petitioner failed to satisfy the procedural requirements of Matter of Lozada because he did not provide his former counsel sufficient time to respond to allegations before filing his motion.

Civil Immigration (Civil) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 17 2026
9th Cir. 18-71411 Unpublished

CARLOS GONZALEZ-BENITEZ v. TODD BLANCHE, Acting Attorney General Nos. 17-72643; 18-71411

The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order that rejected a motion to reopen removal proceedings based on ineffective assistance of counsel. The court upheld the BIA's finding that the petitioner failed to meet procedural requirements because he provided his former attorney only three days to respond to allegations before filing the motion.

Civil Immigration (Civil) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
11th Cir. 2:25-cv-00070-ECM-KFP Per Curiam

Deutsche Bank National Trust Company v. Thomason

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's order remanding a foreclosure ejectment case to state court, ruling that the defendant's removal attempt violated a prior filing injunction. The court held that the injunction expressly barred future filings regarding the property and warned of summary dismissal for non-compliance.

Constitutional Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
10th Cir. 4:21-CR-00351-GKF-3) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JAMES WILLIAM BUZZARD

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a hearing on ineffective assistance of counsel because the rejected plea offer lacked a firm expiration date. The court dismissed the ineffective assistance claim without prejudice, directing the defendant to pursue such constitutional challenges through a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion rather than on direct appeal.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
6th Cir. 24-4068 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHRISTEN L. CLARK

The Sixth Circuit vacated the district court's denial of a defendant's motion to withdraw a guilty plea, ruling that the sudden resignation of counsel due to pending disciplinary action created a presumption of ineffective assistance requiring an evidentiary hearing. The court held that the district court abused its discretion by relying solely on the plea colloquy without resolving factual disputes regarding the voluntariness of the plea.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
5th Cir. 25-50671 Per Curiam

Sheets v. Scott & White Hospital of Marble Falls

The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Baylor Scott & White Hospital, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove a causal link between her protected activity and subsequent adverse employment actions. The court held that significant temporal gaps between the employee's reports of racial discrimination and the disciplinary measures taken against her rendered the retaliation claim insufficient as a matter of law.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Summary Judgment
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
9th Cir. 2:23-cv-07851- Published

NICHOLAS BROWN v. THE BRITA PRODUCTS COMPANY

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a consumer protection lawsuit against Brita, holding that no reasonable consumer would expect a low-cost water filter to remove contaminants to below lab-detectable limits. The court ruled that the plaintiff's claims failed because the alleged omissions were not material under California law given the product's clear disclosures.

Civil Civil Rights - Voting Consumer Protection
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
4th Cir. 24-1916 Per Curiam

DAVID ANTHONY BABB v. DAVID ISOM; RUDY SOCHA, CEO, WOUNDED NATURE WORKING VETERANS; JOHN J. TECKLENBURG, Retired; MIKE MERRILL, City Police Officer; S.C ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN WI...

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of David Anthony Babb's civil rights complaint, ruling that his allegations failed to plausibly establish that private defendants acted as state actors. The court held that mere licensing, regulation, or state approval of private conduct is insufficient to transform private behavior into state action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983
Read summary →