Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a federal prisoner challenging his sentence. The court found that reasonable jurists would not debate the district court's rulings on the prisoner's Fourth Amendment and ineffective assistance claims.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to a county manager who refused to read a public comment at a board meeting. The court held that the manager's refusal constituted viewpoint discrimination in a limited public forum.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's dismissal of a pro se prisoner's civil rights complaint without prejudice. The court held that the dismissal was a proper exercise of the district court's inherent authority to enforce its rules regarding litigation history disclosure.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se legal malpractice complaint. The court held that the plaintiff waived her right to appellate review by failing to object to the magistrate judge's report and recommendation within the required timeframe.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal prisoner's motion to vacate his sentence. The court held that trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to argue that a parole condition waiving warrantless searches did not extend to suspicionless searches.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a pro se litigant. The court found the appeal duplicative because it sought to challenge an order already affirmed in a prior decision.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment to Prince George's County. The court limited its review to the plaintiffs' Fifth Amendment regulatory takings claim.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a citizen journalist's claims against police officers, ruling that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of state sovereign immunity for a deputy sheriff in a malicious prosecution claim, finding that deputy sheriffs in Alabama are entitled to the same immunity as sheriffs when acting within the scope of their employment.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling granting qualified immunity to police officers in a civil rights lawsuit. The court held that the officers had probable cause to arrest the plaintiff and did not use excessive force during the encounter.
