Correspondent
Federal courthouse correspondent, covers civil rights, employment discrimination, housing rights, and Second Amendment disputes.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner's substantive due process claim, holding that his allegations failed to state a plausible violation of constitutional rights. The court reiterated that government conduct must shock the conscience or interfere with rights implicit in ordered liberty to constitute a substantive due process violation.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se complaint filed against the Texas Medical Liability Trust for failing to state a claim. The court held that the plaintiff failed to allege specific actions by the Trust that caused his alleged hardships or establish a relationship between himself and the Trust.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se prisoner's civil rights lawsuit alleging due process violations in prison disciplinary proceedings. The court held that the plaintiff failed to allege facts sufficient to state a plausible claim, even under the liberal construction required for pro se filings.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se § 1983 lawsuit alleging constitutional violations during arrest and detention. The court held that the magistrate judge and district attorney were protected by absolute immunity, while the public defender did not act under color of state law.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for prison officials in a prisoner's Eighth Amendment claim regarding a COVID-19 outbreak. The court held that the plaintiff failed to prove officials knew of and disregarded an excessive risk to his health.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a plaintiff's First Amendment retaliatory arrest claim because he failed to allege facts showing the absence of probable cause. The court further held that denying leave to amend was proper since any amendment would be futile given the lack of plausible allegations.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Anthony McGee's pro se civil rights lawsuit alleging Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment violations. The appellate court declined to review the underlying dismissal grounds because McGee failed to argue them in his opening brief.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a pro se race discrimination claim against Home Depot. The appellate court declined to review the dismissal grounds because the appellant failed to argue them in his opening brief and rejected his unsupported claim of judicial bias.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an Americans with Disabilities Act claim because the plaintiff moved out of the facility, rendering the case moot. The court held that without a present harm to enjoin, injunctive relief is unavailable for Title III violations.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in a pro se prisoner's Eighth Amendment claim, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove deliberate indifference regarding COVID-19 quarantine conditions. The court further upheld the dismissal of a claim concerning the removal of the plaintiff's CPAP machine due to insufficient factual allegations linking the defendant to the act.
