5th Cir.

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Mar 27 2026

25-10886 Panel Decision

Chasity Congious, by and through her Guardian, Kimberly Hammond v. Aaron Ivy Shaw, DO Defendant—

The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Dr. Aaron Shaw, holding that the plaintiff failed to prove he had subjective knowledge of a substantial risk of serious harm to the pretrial detainee. The court ruled that because the Medical Director did not personally review the specific email detailing the inmate's symptoms, he lacked the requisite awareness to establish a constitutional violation.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity Summary Judgment

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Mar 27 2026

25-20362 Per Curiam

Robert Prosper v. Harris County; City of Houston; C. M. Blackburn

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Robert Prosper's civil rights claims, ruling that his complaint failed to state a plausible claim against the named officer or the municipalities. The court held that the district court properly dismissed the case because the plaintiff did not allege sufficient facts to establish municipal liability or a special relationship required for a due process claim.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity

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Mar 27 2026

25-30113 Per Curiam

United States v. Brown

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Elijah Brown's bank fraud sentence while vacating and remanding the restitution order for recalculation. The court rejected challenges to the vulnerable victim and role enhancement adjustments, finding the district court's application of the Sentencing Guidelines plausible and supported by the record.

Criminal Fraud Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release

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Mar 27 2026

25-60244 Per Curiam

Cordova-Almendares v. Bondi

The Fifth Circuit denied asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture protection to a Honduran petitioner whose claim relied on a single incident of threats. The court held that the isolated nature of the incident and the lack of immediacy failed to establish the sustained pattern required for past persecution or a well-founded fear of future harm.

Civil Immigration (Civil)

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Mar 27 2026

25-60204 Per Curiam

In the Matter of VCR I, L.L.C. Debtor Derek A. Henderson v. United States Trustee

The Fifth Circuit affirmed that a Chapter 7 trustee cannot earn commissions on surplus distributions made to an entity functioning as the debtor's stand-in. The court held that such payments fall under the statutory category for returning equity to the debtor, which is explicitly excluded from the trustee's compensation calculation.

Bankruptcy Civil

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Mar 26 2026

23-50717 Per Curiam

United States of America v. Angel Alejandro Pena

The Fifth Circuit dismissed an appeal because the defendant's valid plea agreement waiver barred him from challenging the constitutionality of his conviction. Consequently, the court declined to address the defendant's Second Amendment challenge to the federal firearms statute.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines

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Mar 26 2026

25-40339 Per Curiam

United States v. Till

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Jason Paul Till's within-guidelines sentence for attempted production of child pornography, finding no procedural or substantive error in the district court's sentencing decision. The court also rejected Till's claim that the prosecutor made improper comments during the sentencing hearing.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal

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Mar 26 2026

25-30321 Per Curiam

Archer Western Contractors, L.L.C. v. McDonnel Group, L.L.C.

The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling allowing a breach of contract dispute between joint venture partners to proceed without joining the joint venture entity itself. The court held that the joint venture was not an indispensable party and that one partner's retention of settlement funds violated the joint venture agreement.

Civil Contract Summary Judgment

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Mar 26 2026

24-20554 Per Curiam

Karen Green v. HCTec Partners, L.L.C.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in an employment discrimination case. The court held that the plaintiff failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove pretext for discrimination or retaliation under the McDonnell Douglas framework.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Summary Judgment

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Mar 26 2026

25-40188 Panel Decision

Michael A. Hagar v. Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the FBI, ruling that a FOIA request for email header metadata was moot because the agency had already provided the requested recipient information. The court further held that the Freedom of Information Act does not require federal agencies to create new records to generate metadata that is not already stored in a separate, retrievable format.

Civil FOIA Mootness

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