Raj Patel

Correspondent

Raj Patel

Breaking news correspondent, covers late-night developments and emergency rulings.

Immigration & Government

Decisions covered by Raj Patel

478 decisions
Apr 2 2026
5th Cir. 25-10619 Per Curiam

Neil McDougall v. Saudi Arabian Oil Company, doing business as Saudi Aramco

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a fraud lawsuit against Saudi Aramco, ruling that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act bars the suit because the alleged torts occurred in Saudi Arabia. The court held that the defendant's Houston-based subsidiary did not qualify as an agency or instrumentality of the foreign state for the purposes of the commercial-activity exception.

Civil Insurance
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Apr 2 2026
5th Cir. 25-30503 Per Curiam

Ivy Cook v. Social Security Administration

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment upholding the Social Security Administration's denial of benefits for an earlier onset date. The court held that substantial evidence supported the Administrative Law Judge's determination that the plaintiff became disabled in August 2021, not February 2021 as claimed.

Civil Social Security
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Apr 2 2026
8th Cir. 24-2457 Panel Decision

Roxana Elizabeth Quijano-Duran; Valeria Nicole Moreno Quijano v. Pamela Bondi

The Eighth Circuit denied a petition for review by Salvadoran nationals seeking asylum, ruling that they waived their due process claim regarding judicial bias by failing to provide specific argument or evidence. The court further held it lacked jurisdiction to review the Department of Homeland Security's exercise of prosecutorial discretion in enforcing removal orders.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
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Apr 1 2026
1st Cir. 26-1217 Panel Decision

State of Washington v. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

The First Circuit denied the Department of Housing and Urban Development's request for an emergency stay of a district court injunction blocking its new Continuum of Care funding rules. The court found that the agency failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits or that the public interest favored lifting the injunction, which preserves stable housing for vulnerable populations.

Civil Other Civil
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Apr 1 2026
5th Cir. 25-20133 Per Curiam

Mark Vasquez Plaintiff— v. CIMA Services, L.P.; Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc.; The Lubrizol Corporation Defendants—

The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment because the plaintiff failed to timely oppose the defendant's motion despite prior warnings and multiple continuances. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion to deny the emergency filing request and treat the motion as unopposed under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56.

Civil Summary Judgment Tort / Personal Injury
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Apr 1 2026
11th Cir. 3:19-cv-04424-MCR-HTC Per Curiam

DAVID BEAR v. ESCAMBIA COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DOUGLAS B. UNDERHILL

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court ruling holding that a county commissioner qualifies as a government agency under Florida's Public Records Act when using personal social media for official business. The court further held that the commissioner's deletion of those records constituted an unlawful refusal to disclose, warranting an award of attorney's fees.

Civil ERISA / Employee Benefits
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Apr 1 2026
9th Cir. 25-1370 Unpublished

ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE, by and through the President of the Arizona Senate, Warren Petersen, and the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, Steve Montenegro; KIMBER...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a challenge to a presidential proclamation creating a national monument, holding that the plaintiffs lacked Article III standing. The court ruled that alleged future injuries to tax revenue and land value were too speculative to satisfy the imminence requirement.

Civil Environmental (Civil) Standing
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Apr 1 2026
9th Cir. 18-71787 Published

ALFONSO VERDUZCO RUIZ v. PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Department of Homeland Security reinstatement order, ruling that an approved visa petition does not create a vested right to adjust status before the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The court further held that aliens must demonstrate actual prejudice to claim a due process violation for the denial of counsel in reinstatement proceedings.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
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Mar 31 2026
Fed. Cir. 25-1118 Panel Decision

Henrikson v. United States

The Federal Circuit affirmed the denial of disability retirement for a former Air Force pilot, holding that his sinusitis did not prevent him from performing his administrative Generalist Pilot duties. The court found substantial evidence supporting the Board's determination that the appellant's role did not require actual flight operations.

Admiralty / Maritime Civil
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