Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from representing Cleveland Blackshear, III, after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit for the direct criminal appeal. Consequently, the court affirmed Blackshear's convictions and total sentence.
The Eleventh Circuit granted a joint motion for summary reversal, holding that the government breached its plea agreement by arguing for a higher sentencing guideline range based on the purity of the methamphetamine. The court vacated the within-guideline sentence and remanded the case for resentencing consistent with the terms of the plea agreement.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's imposition of sanctions against attorneys for pursuing a frivolous civil conspiracy claim that violated the intracorporate conspiracy doctrine. The court also rejected the appellants' argument that the district judge should have recused himself due to alleged bias from prior rulings and trial comments.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Anesh Gupta's civil suit and upheld a filing injunction against him. The court found no reversible error in the district court's handling of Gupta's claims under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Little Tucker Act.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a statutory maximum sentence of 840 months for child pornography offenses, ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion. The court held that the district court properly weighed the need to protect the public over the defendant's mitigating arguments regarding his mental health.
The Eleventh Circuit denied the defendant's motion to substitute counsel as moot after he clarified he did not seek new representation. The court conducted an independent review of the record under Anders v. California and affirmed the convictions, finding no arguable issues of merit.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the Tax Court's decision sustaining 40% gross-valuation-misstatement penalties against LLCs claiming excessive conservation-easement deductions. The court found no error in the lower court's reliance on IRS expert testimony to determine significantly lower fair market values for the easements.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Liam Torres's lawsuit as frivolous, rejecting his claims that he operates a sovereign micro-state. The court clarified that a pro se litigant lacks standing to represent an organization on appeal, limiting review to his personal, meritless claims.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a § 1983 claim against a federal judge, ruling that the judge's decision to separate co-defendants' trials is protected by absolute judicial immunity. The court held that this immunity applies even for erroneous or malicious decisions unless the judge acted in clear absence of jurisdiction.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal from a district court order denying a temporary restraining order because the ruling was not a final decision. The court held that the denial of the TRO did not qualify for immediate appellate review under the collateral order doctrine or the statutory exception for injunctive relief.