Correspondent
Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling denying accidental death benefits under an ERISA plan. The court held that the insurer reasonably concluded the claimant's death was not solely the result of an accident because a blood thinner contributed to the fatal injury.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the removal of a federal employee for excessive absences and misuse of government resources. The court held that the Merit Systems Protection Board properly considered new medical evidence and found the penalty of removal reasonable under the efficiency of the service standard.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed district court judgments granting habeas corpus petitions filed by noncitizens detained in the interior of the United States. The court held that the mandatory detention scheme under Section twelve hundred twenty-five, subsection B, paragraph two, subparagraph A does not apply to noncitizens who did not affirmatively seek admission.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the life imprisonment sentence imposed on Richard Dean Hicks. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting arguments for a lesser sentence based on the defendant's medical conditions and age.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's revocation of Keshawn Reed's supervised release. The court found sufficient evidence supported findings that Reed violated his supervision terms by driving while intoxicated and by eluding police.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a civil action regarding a Louisiana succession dispute. The court held that the district court correctly found it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the case presented neither a federal question nor diverse parties.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed district court rulings that the government unlawfully detained noncitizens under a mandatory detention statute. The court held that the statute requiring mandatory detention applies only to noncitizens actively seeking admission, not those already in the interior.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Eloy Padilla-Saldana for illegal reentry. The court rejected his constitutional challenge to the statutory sentencing enhancement, noting the argument was foreclosed by existing Supreme Court precedent.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress statements made by a defendant during police interviews at a hospital and a police station. The court dismissed the defendant's appeal regarding the substantive reasonableness of his sentence due to a valid waiver in his plea agreement.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a restitution order of twenty-five thousand dollars imposed on a defendant convicted of possessing child pornography. The court held that binding precedent forecloses arguments that the Fifth and Sixth Amendments require jury findings for restitution amounts or disaggregation of victim losses.
