Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in a Fourth Amendment excessive force claim. The court held that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity because no clearly established law prohibited their use of non-lethal force against the plaintiff.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police officers and the City of Green Bay in a Fourth Amendment excessive force and medical care case. The court held that no reasonable jury could find the officers objectively unreasonable in their conduct or that the officers violated clearly established law.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a tribal lawsuit challenging federal debt collection under the Tribally Controlled Schools Act. The court held that the Tribe failed to exhaust mandatory administrative remedies and missed the statutory deadline to appeal the government's final decisions.
The Ninth Circuit denied the petition for review in part and vacated and remanded in part regarding Aniceto Quinonez-Ros's immigration relief claims. The court found substantial evidence supported the denial of withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture protection but remanded for further consideration of cancellation of removal eligibility.
The Ninth Circuit held that the Board of Immigration Appeals abused its discretion by denying a motion to reopen based on ineffective assistance of counsel. The court ruled that mailing a courtesy copy of the decision to petitioners does not rebut the presumption of prejudice when counsel fails to advise them of the filing deadline.
The Fourth Circuit clarified that federal habeas courts must defer only to the last state court decision that provides reasoned analysis on the merits. In this ineffective assistance of counsel claim, the court affirmed the denial of relief because the state appellate court's finding of no prejudice was reasonable.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in an Americans with Disabilities Act case. The court held that the airline satisfied its obligation to engage in an interactive process by granting the employee's only requested accommodation.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a city council member's removal from a municipal board of adjustment did not violate procedural due process. The court held that the plaintiff lacked a constitutionally protected property interest in his board seat because the city retained broad discretion to appoint and remove members.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in a religious discrimination case involving a healthcare worker's refusal to be vaccinated. The court held that the employer demonstrated undue hardship by showing that exempting the employee posed an unacceptable risk to patient and staff safety.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a Texas prisoner because it was filed months after the deadline expired. The court held that the appellant could not extend the appeal period by filing successive post-judgment motions on the same grounds.
