Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of the plaintiff's amended complaint with prejudice for failure to state a claim. The appellate court held that the appellant waived all arguments for reversal by failing to address the district court's specific legal reasoning in his brief.
The Third Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Lackawanna County, ruling that the appellant failed to prove her termination was motivated by age. The court found no evidence that the employer's documented performance-based actions were a pretext for age discrimination.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a racial discrimination verdict against a transportation company that rescinded a job offer based on the applicant's race. The court held that the district court properly cured counsel misconduct and that the damages awarded were supported by evidence and not unconstitutionally excessive.
The Eleventh Circuit vacated the district court's dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's Title VII discrimination and retaliation claims. The appellate court held that the amended complaint related back to the original filing and that the district court applied the wrong legal standard by requiring a prima facie case at the motion to dismiss stage.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Fair Housing Act claim because the plaintiff failed to plead specific facts linking her disability to the landlord's failure to make repairs. The court also rejected the plaintiff's motion to recuse the district judge, ruling that adverse rulings alone do not prove judicial bias.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's Section 1983 challenge to a Texas discovery statute, holding that the Younger abstention doctrine bars federal intervention. The court ruled that the plaintiff had an adequate opportunity to raise his constitutional claims within the ongoing state criminal proceedings.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's Section 1983 claims, ruling that the proposed amended complaint failed to state a valid claim regardless of the district court's procedural error. The court held that the amendment was insufficient as a matter of law because it omitted the police department and failed to allege a Monell violation.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a challenge to a Shawnee, Kansas zoning ordinance that limits the number of unrelated people living together. The court held that the ordinance does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment rights to intimate association or equal protection under the controlling precedent of Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has dismissed the appeal filed by Jesse Joseph Aich against Reno County Correctional Facility and associated defendants. The dismissal was issued for lack of prosecution, meaning the appellant failed to pursue the case as required by court rules.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Robert Spencer's convictions for possessing a firearm and an explosive device, ruling that police actions were justified by exigent circumstances. The court further held that any potential Fourth Amendment violation was attenuated from the evidence under the doctrine established in Utah v. Strieff.
