Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment against a pro se plaintiff on defamation and Title VII employment discrimination claims. The court limited its review to specific objections raised by the appellant and found no reversible error in the lower court's ruling.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal because the appellant filed his notice of appeal well past the mandatory 30-day deadline. The court affirmed the district court's separate order denying the appellant's motion to remand the case to state court.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Mengyang Li's pro se Title VII discrimination and retaliation claims against Shepherd University. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's ruling and dispensed with oral argument.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of an employment discrimination claim for failure to state a claim. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's orders and denied the appellant's motion to reconsider.
The Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed Eric Fernandez's federal habeas petition because it was filed after the one-year statute of limitations expired. The court held that Fernandez failed to exercise due diligence in discovering that his counsel had not filed a necessary motion to withdraw his plea, which triggered the finality of his conviction.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se civil rights lawsuit brought against Maryland state officials and entities. The court upheld the lower court's ruling based on sovereign immunity, failure to state a claim, and the plaintiff's refusal to amend her complaint to sue the Sheriff in his individual capacity.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a pro se prisoner's motion to reopen a dismissed civil rights lawsuit under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b). The appellate court found no abuse of discretion where the plaintiff repeatedly failed to amend a deficient complaint or respond to court orders over a period of nearly ten months.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal because the district court's order to file a second amended complaint was not a final, appealable order. The appellate court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case under federal statutes governing final judgments and interlocutory orders.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the City of Tulsa, ruling that a plaintiff failed to prove that the city's stated reason for hiring a less qualified candidate was pretext for age and race discrimination. The court held that procedural irregularities in the hiring process and the city's subsequent policy changes did not demonstrate discriminatory animus where the employer honestly believed the candidate possessed superior leadership experience.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Anna Rhodes' civil action against Navy Federal Credit Union for failure to state a claim. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's denial of the motion to remand and the subsequent dismissal.
