Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated a preliminary injunction and remanded the case to state court. The panel found that the defendants failed to allege facts establishing complete diversity of citizenship required for federal jurisdiction.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Harold Jean-Baptiste's complaint, upholding a pre-filing injunction that requires him to obtain court permission before filing pro se actions. The court rejected his motions for FOIA data, appointment of counsel, and relief from the injunction, ruling that his claims were frivolous and barred by the existing order.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated a district court injunction and remanded the case for further proceedings. The court issued a per curiam judgment accompanied by a majority opinion and a dissenting opinion.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a complaint filed against the President, ruling that the pleading failed to provide fair notice of the claims under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a). The court further held that the district court properly declined to grant leave to amend sua sponte because the appellant identified no viable amendments that would entitle her to relief.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Tony Parks' Title VII retaliation claims, ruling that his pleadings failed to allege facts constituting a materially adverse action or a causal link to protected activity. The court further held that Parks forfeited challenges to his failure-to-promote and other discrimination claims by failing to raise them in his appellate brief.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the denial of Social Security disability benefits, holding that the Administrative Law Judge's decision was supported by substantial evidence. The court found the ALJ provided valid reasons for assigning less weight to treating physicians' opinions based on documented medical improvements and symptom control.
The D.C. Circuit reversed the dismissal of a legal malpractice claim, holding that plaintiffs adequately pleaded proximate cause by showing the loss of a settlement opportunity was a foreseeable result of attorney negligence. The court clarified that foreseeability requires only that the general type of harm be predictable, not the precise sequence of events leading to it.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a civil rights complaint because the plaintiff failed to provide a short, plain statement of the claim required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a). The court further held that the district court correctly denied leave to amend the complaint, as the proposed changes would not have cured the original pleading deficiencies.
The D.C. Circuit held that the EPA violated the Clean Air Act by classifying industrial boilers built before 2020 as new sources, contradicting the statute's explicit temporal definitions. Consequently, the court granted petitions from industry groups challenging this classification while denying environmental groups' challenges to the agency's data selection.
The D.C. Circuit held that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires school districts to provide door-to-door assistance for a wheelchair-bound student to access school. The court reversed summary judgment, ruling that transporting a child from their apartment door to a school bus constitutes a mandatory transportation service under federal law.