Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's constitutional challenge to his driver's license suspension and wage garnishment. The court held that the doctrine of claim preclusion barred the suit because the same factual predicate had been previously litigated and dismissed.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in an employment discrimination case. The court held that the plaintiff failed to provide evidence of a similarly situated comparator required under the McDonnell Douglas framework.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a summary judgment ruling that the Coast Guard Auxiliary did not violate a volunteer member's First Amendment rights by disenrolling him. The court held that the Auxiliary's interest in maintaining discipline and public confidence outweighed the member's speech interests.
The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order denying a motion to reopen removal proceedings. The court found no abuse of discretion or due process violation regarding the petitioners' claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the convictions of Claudia Carolina Monroy-Ramirez for transporting unauthorized aliens and related conspiracy charges. The court declined to address a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel on direct appeal, directing the defendant to raise that issue in a separate habeas corpus proceeding.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Rehabilitation Act claim and an ADA claim against one defendant but vacated the dismissal of an ADA claim against another defendant. The court remanded the case for further proceedings regarding the failure-to-accommodate claim and administrative exhaustion issues.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of an immigration order. The court found the petitioner failed to demonstrate prejudice from alleged counsel errors or due process violations.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for prison medical providers in an Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference case. The court held that the inmate failed to provide verifying medical evidence that treatment delays caused him harm.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in a retaliation case brought under Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act. The court held that the plaintiff failed to present a convincing mosaic of retaliatory animus to overcome the employer's legitimate reasons for termination.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by former corrections employees challenging a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The court held that the plaintiffs failed to state a claim for relief and that the defendants were protected by qualified immunity.
