Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
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.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of Jorge Galvan-Martinez's motion to suppress evidence, ruling that a Border Patrol agent had reasonable suspicion to stop his vehicle. The court held that the totality of circumstances, including proximity to the border and recent illegal activity, supported the stop under established legal standards.
The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw from representing Mario Pena-Llanas, finding no nonfrivolous issues for appeal. The court dismissed the consolidated appeals after reviewing the record and finding no meritorious grounds for reversal.
The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw from representing Justin Lattier on appeal. The court dismissed the appeal after determining that no nonfrivolous issues for review existed.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment because the plaintiff failed to exhaust administrative remedies for most claims and provided no factual support for her discrimination theories. The court held that the employer's uniform security policy did not constitute discrimination under the ADA, ADEA, or Title VII.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment in favor of Brian Whiteside, ruling that he had standing to sue despite acting as an agent for a corporate entity. The court further held that the jury's finding of justifiable reliance was supported by sufficient evidence and that the exclusion of a disputed tape recording did not prejudice the defendants' substantial rights.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Carlos Robles's sentence, ruling that the district court properly applied sentencing guidelines cross-references and enhancements based on relevant conduct involving grooming and sexual acts with a minor. The court further upheld supervised release conditions requiring SORNA compliance and polygraph testing as reasonably related to public safety and the nature of the offense.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a prison employee's civil rights suit, holding that she lacked Article III standing to challenge prosecutorial decisions. The court modified the judgment to dismiss the claims without prejudice, noting that federal courts cannot supervise criminal investigations or second-guess the vigor of prosecutions.
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.