Correspondent
Breaking news correspondent, covers late-night developments and emergency rulings.
The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order rejecting asylum and withholding of removal claims. The court held that the BIA did not violate due process by adopting the immigration judge's decision and found substantial evidence supported the denial of relief.
The Federal Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the United States, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove her position required equal skill, effort, and responsibility compared to her male colleague under the Equal Pay Act. The court further held that the government successfully rebutted the claim by demonstrating the pay differential was based on factors other than sex.
The Fifth Circuit denied a petition for review, upholding the Board of Immigration Appeals' refusal to grant deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture. The court found substantial evidence supported the conclusion that El Salvador's prison conditions are not specifically intended to inflict torture and that the petitioner's future risk of torture remains speculative.
The Ninth Circuit dismissed a petition for review challenging only a denial of Convention Against Torture protection because such an order does not merge into a final order of removal. The court held that appellate jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(1) requires a challenge to the underlying removal order, not a standalone challenge to the CAT denial.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se consumer protection lawsuit, ruling that the complaint was an impermissible shotgun pleading. The court further held that the plaintiffs' claims were barred by res judicata under Florida law despite the timing of the underlying state foreclosure judgment.
The Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal challenging an earlier effective date for accrued veterans benefits because the appellant failed to present a valid legal issue within the court's jurisdiction. The court determined that the claimant's arguments amounted to factual disagreements rather than challenges to the validity of statutes or regulations.
The Federal Circuit lacks statutory authority to hear direct appeals from Social Security Administration decisions. Consequently, the court transferred the case to the United States District Court for the District of Idaho rather than dismissing it.
The Third Circuit denied a petition for review by a Honduran mother and her daughters seeking asylum and protection from torture. The court upheld the Board of Immigration Appeals' finding that the petitioners failed to prove the gang threats were motivated by a protected ground rather than financial extortion.
The Sixth Circuit denied a petition for review challenging the Board of Immigration Appeals' rejection of an asylum claim based on a family land dispute in Guatemala. The court held that verbal harassment and non-immediate threats did not constitute persecution under federal immigration law.
The Eleventh Circuit vacated a district court's dismissal of a foreclosure lawsuit, ruling that the lower court erred by applying the Rooker-Feldman doctrine to the entire case without analyzing individual claims. The appellate court held that the plaintiffs' complaint sufficiently alleged federal question jurisdiction through specific statutory violations.
