Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
The First Circuit affirmed a permanent injunction barring the National Institutes of Health from imposing a uniform 15% cap on indirect cost reimbursements for federally funded research. The court held that the agency's action violated a congressional appropriations rider and contravened HHS regulations governing negotiated cost rates.
The First Circuit held that a state prisoner's second habeas petition challenging a conviction is not 'second or successive' under AEDPA when the underlying sentence was modified by a state court ruling declaring the original sentence unconstitutional. Because the modification created a new judgment, the petitioner bypassed the federal court's gatekeeping requirements for successive petitions.
The First Circuit held that the City of Nashua's Citizen Flag Pole program was a forum for private speech, not government speech, making the city's refusal to allow certain flags impermissible viewpoint discrimination. The court reversed the district court's denial of relief and remanded with instructions to enter an interim declaratory judgment.
The First Circuit denied a petition for review of a BIA decision affirming the denial of asylum and related protections to Guatemalan nationals. The court held that the agency's adverse credibility findings and determinations regarding the lack of a protected nexus were supported by substantial evidence.
The First Circuit affirmed the convictions of Sixto Jorge Díaz-Colón for attempted extortion, transmitting threatening communications, and destroying records. The court rejected all challenges regarding the sufficiency of evidence, alleged prosecutorial misconduct, and trial rulings.
The First Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of two Massachusetts State Police officers for a federal overtime fraud scheme but vacated a forfeiture order against one defendant. The court held that the government failed to prove which portion of the defendant's financial aid was directly traceable to his fraud rather than what he would have received legitimately.
The First Circuit affirmed the convictions of two Massachusetts State Police officers for wire fraud and theft of federal funds but vacated a forfeiture order against one defendant. The court held that the government failed to prove which portion of the financial aid received by the defendant was traceable to the fraud versus what he would have received legitimately.
The First Circuit affirmed the convictions of two Massachusetts State Police officers for defrauding federal highway safety grants but vacated a forfeiture order against one defendant. The court held that the government failed to prove which portion of the financial aid received by the defendant was directly traceable to the fraud rather than what he would have received anyway.
The First Circuit affirmed the District Court's grant of qualified immunity to state officials sued over the deaths of veterans at a state-run facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court held that the plaintiffs failed to plausibly allege that the defendants directly caused the harm or that the law was clearly established to prohibit the alleged conduct.
The First Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a former student's civil rights claims against school officials and a police officer regarding sexual assault by a coach. The court held that the school officials lacked actual knowledge of the abuse and that the plaintiff failed to prove the state created the danger or that the officer was properly served.